A Memory Given
by janelouise
Summary: **Complete** Before Max gave up his son, Zan, he gave him a memory. What does the future hold for father and son? Will they ever meet again? Will Zan remember the memory his father gave him? Read and find out!


Title: A Memory Given   
Author: jane  
E-mail: illta1985@aol.com   
Rating: PG-13  
Category: M/L & Zan Future fic, Post 4AAAB.  
Disclaimer: They are not mine (mores the pity!). The characters of Roswell belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, Jason Katims and all the wonderful people who we all love for starting this fabulous series (but who we are frustrated with, for messing with the beautiful, 1st season story line!). No infringement or disrespect is intended. I'm just borrowing them!  
  
Summary: Before Max gave up his son, Zan, he gave him a memory. What does the future hold for father and son? Will they ever meet again? Will Zan remember the memory his father gave him? Read and find out!  
  
A Memory Given. Part 1  
  
Max Evans stood in his parents' kitchen sipping coffee and gazing into the basinet on the kitchen counter, which held his son; his Human son, Zan. It had been one week since Tess had risked her life to escape Khivar on Antar and bring their infant son to Earth; and not finding a welcome for herself and having the Air Force relentlessly tracking her, had walked back onto the military base and been killed in an enormous explosion, which had taken most of the base and its personnel along with her.   
  
'Zan doesn't have either mine or Tess' eye color; his are more like Isabel's, dark brown. He does seem to have her blond hair though. Thank goodness he doesn't have my ears!' Max thought to himself as he smiled down at Zan. 'I wonder what you'll look like when you grow up and will I ever get to see you when you have?' Max saw his father come into the kitchen just then and he voiced his concerns.  
  
"I just want my son to live a normal life; away from all of this."  
  
"He will live a normal life, Max; he will." Phillip Evans tried to reassure his son.  
  
"Not if I'm a part of it." Max corrected sadly.  
  
"What are you saying?" Phillip asked.  
  
"He's Human; he deserves to live a normal, Human life. Look, all I've wanted for the past year; more than anything else in my life is to find him...and now that I have...I think I'm going to have to give him up."  
  
"Max..." Phillip said.  
  
"I'm a marked man...and so are you. Maybe if things were different...maybe in the future there will be a way..." Max turned to look down at his gurgling son. "I have to ensure Zan's safety and the only way to do that is to get him away from me, from us...can you help me?" Max asked, afraid to look up at his father.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Phillip asked, then after some thought. "I have a law school buddy who handles things like this. He's in New York though."  
  
"The further away the better." Max replied. "The less I know about where Zan's going to end up, the safer he'll be...promise me you'll put him with a good family. I want him to have parents like...well, just like you and Mom. Can you make sure he gets that?"  
  
"Yeah, I can do that." Phillip assured his son.  
  
The day came for Zan to be taken away and Max sat on the front porch with Liz, cradling Zan in his arms.   
  
"Max...it's...it's time." Phillip says, as Diane looks anxiously on.  
  
Max looks from his parents, to Liz and then back to his precious son and gently passes his hand over the infant's forehead, leaving a sparkling light behind, which fades away quickly.  
  
'I love you so much, my son; I always will, but it isn't safe for you here. Remember this moment...you being held in my arms...and how much I love you. Grow tall, strong and wise...' Max plants his thoughts into his son's mind.  
  
"What was that?" Diane asked, having seen Max's glowing hand pass over Zan's forehead; she still was not used to seeing her children use their powers.  
  
"Just a memory." Was all Max told her softly before he rose from the bench and walked with Liz out to his parents' car at the curb. He watched as Diane put Zan into his car-seat with his rattle which looks like a spaceship and then as his parents drive away, tries to keep the tears back.  
  
"I'm here; I'll always be here." Liz said, grasping his hand tightly with her smaller one and holding onto his arm with her left hand. Max looked gratefully down at her and tried to smile but didn't quite make it as Liz drew him into her arms.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
17 years later in a Boston suburb.  
  
Seventeen, almost eighteen year old Zan; now named Timothy Ian Hogan, adopted son of Ian and Maggie Hogan unlocked the back door of his house with a dejected sigh. No one else was home. His father, a veterinarian was at work and his mother, a teacher was probably out doing the Saturday grocery shopping.  
  
'I really need to talk to you, Mom.' He thought to himself with another sigh. 'Well, at least Bridget isn't home yet either; she must still be over at her friend's house.' Tim thought of his 16 year old sister, his parents' second adopted child.  
  
Tim poured himself some milk, grabbed a banana and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He put the glass of milk down on his nightstand and picked up the framed photograph from its place by the lamp. His large, dark brown eyes filled with tears but he blinked them back before they could fall down his lean, handsome face.  
  
'Kathy, what happened this afternoon? We hardly ever fight. What made our argument flare up like that? I don't even remember what started it in the first place...I didn't mean any of those awful things I said...I love you.' Tim thought as he ran a fingertip over her cheekbones and smiling lips.  
  
'Mom, Dad, I really need to talk to at least one of you; to help me figure out how I can fix things with Kathy.' Tim put the picture back on his nightstand and sat slumped down on the side of his bed; narrowly missing the banana he had dropped onto the forest-green comforter. He thought of how much he loved Kathy Murphy, his girlfriend since their freshman year and his Steady since their Junior Prom.  
  
Then as he sat brooding, a rare, but familiar feeling came over him. He was being held in strong, gentle arms looking up into the face of a handsome young man who was looking down at him with a slight smile on his lips...and Tim felt a profound sense of love come over him, as the young man stroked his hand over his head. 'I love you so much, my son; I always will, but it isn't safe for you here. Remember this moment...of being held in my arms...and how much I love you. Grow tall, strong and wise...'  
  
Tim usually had this vision or dream while he slept and it had always come to him each year on May 7th throughout his life. But on just a few occasions, Tim had seen the vision when he was awake; always when he was pretty upset about something and neither of his adoptive parents were nearby, ready and willing to help.  
  
When he was younger, Tim had just referred to the vision as "the nice man who holds me, loves me and makes me feel safe". When he turned 14, he had believed, fancifully that this might be a vision of his own future; holding and loving his own son, but that idea had not lasted long. Now, at 17, Tim had another theory. Although the man didn't look particularly like himself, Tim wondered if he was his birth father. His eyes were amber colored; while Tim's were dark brown and Tim didn't have the large ears (thankfully, he thought!). But they did have the same slim, but muscled physique, thin faces and a mop of dark brown hair, falling over their foreheads. He had wondered once or twice whether his birth mother was blond, because his hair had been blond when he was a little boy, but it had darkened to dark brown as he grew older.  
  
But Tim was happy and loved his adoptive parents and bratty kid sister very much, so he had never thought too much about who the man in his vision was, but he always felt better after revisiting that memory or vision. He savored the feelings and softly spoken words the vision showed him for a few more moments and then let them go with a gentle smile on his lips. He needed to call Kathy and fix things, Tim thought and reached out to pick up his wireless phone, but it rang before he could touch it.  
  
"Hello?" He asked after picking up the hand-set.  
  
"Tim...I'm so sorry; I don't even know why we were fighting." Came the beloved voice of his girlfriend, Kathy. "I didn't mean any of those things I said...will you please...forgive me?"  
  
"Honey, there's nothing for me to forgive, but please tell me that you can forgive me. I don't know why I said what I said either. I've been sitting here, miserable, trying to even remember why we started...fighting." Tim said.  
  
"As you said; there's nothing to forgive...can we get together and talk...please?"  
  
"Of course Kathy. Why don't I meet you at our spot in...ten minutes, okay?"  
  
"Okay, see you there. I love you." Kathy agreed before hanging up.  
  
"I love you too, see you in a few." Tim replied.  
  
Tim jumped up from his bed and ran out of his room and down to the kitchen where he wrote a note; telling his parents where he was going and that he would be home in time for dinner, before running out the back door and jumping into his old, dark blue SUV.  
  
Tim arrived at the nearby ice-arena just as Kathy did too. It was a cold, rainy day for April and he stayed seated in his SUV, just gazing at her admiringly for a moment as she got out of her aquamarine Escort. As Tim saw the wind blow her long, straight, dark brown hair out behind her, he wished that it was his fingers which were threading their way through those silky tresses and with that thought, he got out of the car and walked over to his lady-love.  
  
Their Spot during bad weather was on a bench, at the indoor ice-arena. They loved to go skating together, but sometimes, like today, they just huddled together and talked, drank cocoa and watched other people skate out on the ice.  
  
"Hi Sweetheart." Kathy whispered into Tim's ear as they greeted each other with quick, chaste kisses and hugs.  
  
"Hi Honey." Tim whispered back. They kept their endearments for each other's ears only. "Would you like some cocoa?"  
  
"Mmmm, yes please, my hands are cold." Kathy answered and Tim bought two cups; one with extra marshmallows in it for Kathy and they went to sit at the end of the benches and silently watch the skaters for a few moments.  
  
"I've never been as miserable in my life as I was half an hour ago." Tim said, turning to face Kathy.  
  
"Me neither, but I truly can't remember what we were talking about." Kathy said.  
  
"Neither can I...could we just...forget that it ever happened?" Tim asked as he gazed deeply into Kathy's large, chocolate brown eyes with their fringe of long, thick lashes.  
  
"I'd like that." Kathy agreed softly, threading her fingers through his and holding on tightly.  
  
"I was so upset and no one was home after I left your house and...I had the...vision again." Tim admitted hesitantly. Kathy was the only person that he had ever told about his dream or vision.  
  
"The one in which it's like you're a baby being held in a young man's arms?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You told me before that you always feel better after having that dream." Kathy said.  
  
"Yeah, if he was my...birth-father...he knew that he had to give me away but he wanted me to know how much he loved me. I feel the warmth and comfort of his feelings envelop me like a comforter...it's strange though, I'd forgotten..."  
  
"What?" Kathy asked.  
  
"I don't usually remember the part where he tells me that it isn't safe for me to be where he was..." Kathy looked at him thoughtfully but her lovely eyes were huge.  
  
"Tim, if that was your birth-father; what was he into, to make it unsafe for him to keep you?"  
  
"I don't know, Kathy. He looked as though he was just my age or a little older...maybe he witnessed something at his school...drugs or...something worse. I don't know. Usually I don't think too much about him. I'm just so thankful that Mom and Dad adopted me. They are my real parents and I love Bridget too, even if she is a brat!"  
  
"Your parents are great, I love them!" Kathy agreed.  
  
The two young lovers changed the subject after that and chatted about normal, everyday topics while they sipped their cocoa.  
  
"Hey, have you heard how Mr. Stevenson's doing?" Tim asked.  
  
"Yeah, I've heard he's doing really well, considering they just performed an emergency quintuple bypass on him. Boy, I was so scared when they announced the news at school, two weeks ago." Kathy remembered, shivering. Tim put his arm around her and drew her close to him.  
  
"Yeah, me too; he's one of my favorite teachers." Tim agreed. "I wonder how long he's going to be out of commission, I hate having a different substitute teacher each week."  
  
"Actually, I just heard that Mr. Stevenson's decided to retire and that the school-board has already hired a new teacher to finish up the semester with us and to replace him next year, but I don't know anything about her." Tim nodded, thoughtfully.  
  
"It's great that we'll finally get a real teacher, rather than just another sub., but I'm going to hate having to finish up our senior year without him."  
  
"Yeah, me too." Kathy said, leaning into Tim's warmth.  
Author's note: I could not bring myself to write this story without covering the last 17 years, at least briefly.   
I hope that this part answers some of your questions and gives you some insights  
  
Part 2  
  
Looking out the front door of their suburban Boston home, Liz Evans saw her mother and father-in-law drive up.  
  
"Max, your mom and dad are here." She called to her beloved husband of 17 years. "Come on kids; come and greet Grandma Diane and Grandpa Phil."  
  
Nine year old Luke, six year old Miriam and three year old Joshua came running, along with Isabel and Jesse's two kids; seven year old Miguel and five year old Teresa.  
  
"Grandma, Grandpa!" The kids yelled.  
  
"Mom, Dad!" Max grinned as everyone converged for hugs and kisses.  
  
"Jeff, Nancy; Jim, Amy, great to see you all!" Phillip called out to the other adults who had already arrived.  
  
"Hey kids! Michael, Maria; Kyle and Connie, great to see all of you." Phillip and Diane greeted them after their grandchildren ran back to play with the other kids in the family room.  
  
"Max, I thought Brody Davis was coming." Phillip asked his son.  
  
"He called about an hour ago, Dad. His flight was cancelled on him and everything else is booked. He said he'd try to get here by tomorrow, so that he could see everyone for at least a little while."  
  
"Boy that's a shame; he'll miss the dinner tonight." Philip shook his head sadly. "Well, I hope Brody makes it tomorrow." Max nodded.  
  
"Come on into the family room, everyone." Liz called. "We're about to give the kids their dinner and all hands are needed!"  
  
Everyone made their way into the colorfully tiled and kid-proofed family room, chatting and laughing as they went. Besides Max and Liz's three kids and Isabel and Jesse's two, there were Michael and Maria's two, six year old twins, Mark and Megan and Kyle and Connie's three kids; 5 year old Theodore "Griffin" Valenti, named for Connie's late father, three year old Judy and one year old Johnny  
  
"Pizza for everyone except for little Johnny." Liz said, bringing in several boxes of delivery pizza. "Don't worry grown-ups; we're having something much better for our dinner, later!"  
  
"I heard a rumor that we're having your world famous, home-made lasagna, Liz!" Kyle rubbed his hands together in anticipation.  
  
"Yup!" Liz answered as they all helped serve the kids their dinner and listened to them chatter about school, their friends and what they had each been up to lately.  
  
Two hours later, they had finished feeding the kids and played with them while turns were taken in giving them all baths. Then the children were tucked into beds or sleeping bags up in the kid's rooms, read some stories and finally kissed goodnight after they had all fallen asleep. The adults came trooping down the stairs.  
  
"Boy, I thought I'd never get the cheese out of Miguel's hair!" Jesse exclaimed. "Hey Michael, didn't you ever teach your son, Mark to eat his dinner, not slap it down on someone else's head?"  
  
"Hey, your Miguel's not all that innocent, Jesse; Mark had tomato sauce smeared across his face like war-paint!" Michael shot back and Jesse rolled his eyes.  
  
"You make my point for me, Michael. Mark probably painted himself." Michael rolled his eyes and Jesse threw his hands up in the air. "Whatever."  
  
"Honey, you're sounding more and more like Michael every day." Isabel warned her loving husband.  
  
"Perish the thought." Jesse mumbled as he gathered his beautiful wife into his arms.  
  
"If all of you could please help clean up the evidence of the food-fight in the family room, the rest of us will finish serving dinner." Liz asked.  
  
Everyone got to work and fifteen minutes later they were all sitting down around a beautiful dinner table.  
  
"Oooh, that lasagna smells fantastic, Liz." Michael remarked to his hostess. "Did you make it with hot Italian sausage like last time?"  
  
"For those of us in the alien contingent, yes I used hot Italian sausage. For everyone else, I used sweet Italian sausage. Then there's red wind for the Humans and a cranberry-pineapple mix for the rest of us."   
  
"Sweet!" Kyle grinned as he heard Liz. "I guess the Humans only consist of our folks, Maria, Jesse and Connie any more."  
  
"Maria made that delicious-looking salad and here are some different salad dressings for us to choose from." Isabel said. "Ranch, Italian and my homemade Tabasco-honey dressing."   
  
"Last but not least, here's the garlic bread." Maria placed two large baskets on the table.  
  
"Well, I'm set; what are the rest of you going to eat?" Jeff Parker joked.  
  
"Just a reminder, Jeff; don't get between an alien and his hot Italian sausage!" Max joked with his father-in-law as everyone laughed and sat down at the table. After they had all been served, Max stood up, glass in hand and the table gave him its full attention.  
  
"Well, you all know why we're here...Tonight is the tenth anniversary of the end of our war with Khivar, the Skins and the Special Unit, who helped them. Those years before the war, when we were on the run and the years following have been difficult, but we all...almost all...came through it to be here tonight. Let us all drink a toast to our friends and loved-ones who were lost..."  
  
"To Connie's dad, Colonel Theodore Griffin." Kyle said, looking deeply into his wife's eyes.  
  
"To Larry and Kelly." Maria mentioned two of their friends from that dark time.  
  
"To Alex, the first casualty..." Isabel lifted her glass in the air along with the others.  
  
"To all of you...we will always remember your names and deeds with honor...and love." Max said, taking a sip of his drink as did the others and then raised his glass again in salute.  
  
A silence held among them for a few moments, but then was broken.  
  
"Could someone pass the Tabasco, please?" Michael asked and conversation slowly grew and spread around the table.  
  
Max, still more a watcher than a talker, glanced at each person who sat around his table, starting with his incredible and most loved soul-mate, Liz. She was so beautiful to him. At thirty-five, her just-past-shoulder-length hair was still silky and shiny, a pleasure to run his hands through, with only a few grey hairs to mar its perfection. She exercised now to keep her petite figure strong and healthy, but it would always be beautiful and sexy to him...along with her sweet face, which hardly showed any signs of aging, despite everything she had experienced. And of course her mind was as sharp and brilliant as ever...an incredible lady all wrapped up in that tiny package. Ever since that awful day when Max had given up his son, Zan and Liz had told him that she would always be there for him...Liz had always been by his side; strengthening, advising and comforting him...how he loved her, Max thought in wonder before he moved onto Jeff and Nancy Parker, who were sitting on his right.  
  
Max remembered Liz's parents explaining their shock at reading Liz's journal for the first time, after the six of them had left Roswell, seven-teen years ago. Reading her thoughts and emotions; about everything that had been happening to their daughter for three years...and the truth about their new son-in-law. But in the end, they had worked with the Evanses and the Valenties to send them money and urgently needed information as the six of them had moved around the country; staying two steps ahead of their enemies, while trying to help others and win a war. After it was over and things had settled down a little, the Parkers had sold the Crash Down and moved to Boston to be close to their daughter and to open a stylish family restaurant, which was doing great business after seven years.  
  
On their right sat Michael and Maria. Max smiled when he thought of his two best friends. Their relationship has always been explosive, turbulent and rocky and after all of these years Max had finally come to the conclusion that they liked it that way. No matter how much they complained about it. During those first six years, while they were all on the run, but before Khivar had arrived on Earth and brought the war to them, Maria, Liz and Michael had been the bread-winners in the group. Although they all looked for jobs wherever they went, those three were most easily able to find jobs as waitresses or short-order-cooks to keep everyone fed and gas in the van. Even with the carefully planned money-drops from home and being able to change a one-dollar bill into a ten, money would have been scarce without their hard work. Now, Maria was manager and part-owner of the Parker's restaurant and would become sole owner in a few years when they retired.  
  
Max and Michael were actually partners, working for a highly respected firm which provided security for business people, both foreign and American. They had met their boss and now partner, Jack Scolia by chance during the war. He had been of immense help to them back then and stayed their friend afterwards. Michael had learned some caution, but was still the muscle and action part of their partnership, while Max had become an expert in electronics and computers. He remembered saying to Michael once; "Just call me Alex." but he had said it with sorrow in his heart. Their motto: "We have our ways." had made them the two best operatives in their firm.  
  
Jim and his wife Amy DeLuca-Valenti, sat on the other side of Michael and Maria. Just before the six of them had left Roswell, Jim had been hired back as a Sheriff's deputy. A few years later, he had been reappointed as Sheriff and married Amy that same year. He and Amy had stayed on in Roswell after the others had moved away. Even though their "alien-war" had never been made public; any action or damage had been blamed on terrorists, Amy's alien-trinket business had stayed profitable in the "Alien Capital of the World". Jim and Amy were thinking of retiring but they were hesitant about moving to Boston because of the harsh winters there. Their final decision was still pending.  
  
Liz was at the other end of the table from Max, with the Valenties on either side of her. Jim and Amy were on her left and Kyle and Connie were on her right. Max marveled at how quickly Kyle and the then Connie Griffin, former Air Force cadet, had bonded after they met for the first time during the war. Kyle hadn't been a part of that whole fiasco of rescuing Connie's father, Colonel Theodore Griffin from the Air Force after his F16 had collided with Tess' spaceship, in the skies over Roswell. Father and daughter were also on the run from the government when they had met up again with the "kids" who had helped them, six years before. They had been an incredible amount of help after joining the group; teaching Max and the others how to fight back rather than just run; such as how to gather damaging information against their enemies, which had ultimately gained them their freedom, when the Brass in Washington had been shown the truth about Khivar's actions and those of the Special Unit. Colonel Griffin had given his life during the mission in which Khivar was finally killed. Nicholas, Lonnie and Rath, who had also fought with Khivar, had been killed earlier in the war. Now Kyle owned five profitable garages in the Boston area and Connie was a popular flight instructor for small private plane pilots.  
  
Phillip and Diane Evans sat in the middle, on Max's left side. They too had been a great help to the six of them, even before they had, had to leave Roswell. They had immediately stood behind Max and Isabel when the Air Force had come looking for them and Zan, even before they had been told the whole truth about their adopted children. Their support had been total, though, Max thought with love and gratitude. After the war, his parents had retired and moved to Boston but were called in as consultants at the law firm, which Jesse had joined after the six of them had left Roswell. Isabel had found a great job as a buyer for one of the top clothing stores in Boston. Jesse already living in Boston and Max and Michael's firm also being located there was the main reason that everyone settled in or nearby that historic city, Max remembered.   
  
Max continued to let his mind wander over one of the mysteries they'd never really found a satisfactory answer to. Only the six of them knew the whole story about Future Max and Liz's supposedly sleeping with Kyle. But in the time Future Max had come from, the war had started fourteen years in the future. In their time, the war had started eight years after Future Max had come. Why the difference in starting-dates for the war and how had they been able to win, when their future selves had been unable to?  
  
It had been theorized that their future had been changed by all that Liz had done. The big part of that change was Tess' return to Antar, pregnant with Max's Son, Zan...but his Human son had been rejected by Khivar, forcing Tess to flee Antar and return to Earth with their baby. Knowing that he couldn't solidify his hold on the Antarian throne using Max's son and heir, Khivar must have decided that his only choice was to kill Max and the rest of the Royal Four. That would have taken too many resources to allow him to merely overtake some Human and use his body as a puppet, so Khivar had decided to come to Earth in person, with a small group of well trained soldiers.   
  
But Khivar had lost...How? They had not had Tess' help this time either, just as their future selves had not. Liz and Kyle had powers by then and had taken her place in the four-square, but wouldn't they have been there in their alternate future as well? Max guessed that, that was one question which they would never find an answer to.  
  
Max hoped everyone on Antar and the neighboring planets would be alright now that Khivar was dead. He had high expectations that they would be, after the final visit Larek paid him, shortly after the end of the war, using Brody's body as his vessel. Larek had told Max that with the death of Khivar, Kathana had lost her best ally and support and had considerably cut back on her attacks of the other planets. On Antar, with the help of Larek (Max and Isabel had known that their birth mother had died sometime before.) the Resistance cell-leaders had stepped forward to form a governing council of sorts, pending the return of Max to his throne.   
  
The only problem was that there was no way to bring him home. The few ships capable of long range space travel, which the five planets had built before the war, had been destroyed during the war. Khivar had taken the last one when he had traveled to Earth and his death had signaled its self-destruction. His equipment on Antar which had been able to form a man-made worm-hole had also self-destructed along with all of his research notes. The only ships left behind would take years to reach Earth and then return.  
  
At that point, Max had officially abdicated his throne in favor of his people creating a permanent governing-council. Larek had assured his old friend that he would do his best to help Max's people build a better future for themselves and had taken his final leave of his life-long friend. Max had never received any other word from Larek or Antar after that.  
  
The wild part of that whole conversation was that after Larek had left, Brody had been allowed to remember everything that had been said during their last conversation and Max explained to him what had really been happening, each time Brody had been "abducted". Max had felt that it was fitting since the older man had been helping them since shortly after the six of them had left Roswell. With his ability to track radio signals and government movements, he had been invaluable to them and the Special Unit had never taken him seriously enough to ever think he was a threat.  
  
Max grinned when he remembered Brody telling him that tourists still asked about what had happened to the six teen-agers who had disappeared from Roswell, seventeen years ago and how he loved to regale them with the story and all the theories...it kept the UFO Center thriving, even after all this time.  
  
Just then, Maria's voice broke through Max's thoughts.  
  
"...Yeah, those six years before the war were really tough; we were always on the run. What I remember though, is how many people we helped during those years. After a while I felt as though we were characters in one of those corny TV shows about the guy, 'who was convicted of a crime he didn't commit', but he escapes and while he's on the run he becomes this mysterious stranger who helps some down-and-out family every week before he has to move on. That was us for six years and actually we still do a lot of that stuff when we can." Maria laughed at the memory and so did everyone else.  
  
"What I'm most proud of is that most of us managed to get our Bachelor's degree during those years." Liz said. "We found a university which had a complete and highly respected Internet-based program and took classes as we could and as we moved around. For most of us, study became something we could enjoy and control. It gave us a small sense of normalcy during that insane time."  
  
"And then you had to get your Master's degree after the war to keep your teacher's certificate. Who would believe it, Liz Evans...a high school biology teacher?" Maria laughed.  
  
"Well, teaching biology was better than having no science in my life at all." Liz explained. "It was a compromise at a time I couldn't take the chance of joining a doctorate program and now I love teaching; it has become my dream job, rather than being a microbiologist." Liz said this while looking directly at Max. She knew he still had pangs of guilt; thinking that her staying with him had robbed her of following her dreams.  
  
"Well, speaking of teaching, are you ready to meet your new students on Monday? Replacing that teacher who had the multiple bypass was a great job offer for you to get; your first permanent teaching assignment! No more substituting." Nancy asked her daughter. "Knowing you, I bet you've already read over all of your students' records. Have you found any promising students who could follow in your illustrious footsteps?"  
  
"Yeah, actually I have checked their files and I have found a few; especially two seniors in my AP Biology class...a Tim Hogan and a Kathy Murphy. According to their records, they are in a tie as to which of them will be made Valedictorian."   
  
"That's great Liz; I know you love it when you can make a real connection with your students." Maria exclaimed.   
  
This group of unusually close friends finished their dinner, moved into the living room and talked late into the night before leaving for their homes. Their children were left in their sleeping bags, sleeping the sleep of the innocent and happy.  
Part 3  
  
Monday morning came and Tim and his sister, Bridget left early so that they could pick up Kathy on the way to school. At Kathy's house, Bridget switched to the back seat of the SUV so that the other girl could sit up front, next to Tim. She was caught between sighing at the romantic way her brother greeted his girlfriend; with a sweet kiss and some intense eye contact, and rolling her eyes when the two of them held their staring contest for several minutes.  
  
"Okay you two, enough. We're going to be late for school." Bridget warned.  
  
"Yeah, okay." Tim said, reluctantly as he leaned away from Kathy and put the SUV into reverse, to back out of her driveway.  
  
In the main hallway of the high school, Jonathon Wozniak leaned against a wall, surrounded by his three friends, Nick, Sam and Jim. Even though Jon barely topped 5'2", he was able to control these three and make them do whatever he wanted them to. He was bright; they...were not. As Jon stood there, he saw Kathy Murphy and Tim Hogan walk through the front door of school. Hogan spoke to that bratty kid-sister of his before she walked off and the two of them started to walk down the hall towards him. Their hands were clasped and their shoulders brushed as they came closer. Most of the other students greeted them or smiled as they walked by; all except Jon and his bunch, who scowled angrily. The two young lovers were very popular with their classmates. Tim was captain of the varsity basketball and soccer teams, but was also at the top of his class, alongside Kathy who belonged to several of the science clubs and they both helped to stage-manage the school plays and concerts each year. Plus they were both genuinely nice kids.  
  
'She should be mine, she should be mine...' Jonathon thought, over and over. Ever since Junior High, he had been trying to get Kathy to go out with him. He had tried everything, he thought; charm, candy, flowers, concert tickets and more charm, but nothing worked. She only had eyes for that muscle-bound jerk, Tim Hogan. Jon was sick of hearing all the girls in school talking about how Hogan had the perfect body; so strong, the perfect hair, how it fell over his forehead was so cute, the perfect smile, the most beautiful eyes. Wozniak's right fist slammed itself into his left palm. The sound attracted Kathy's attention and she glanced over for an instant and then away.  
  
'She looked at me! Kathy Murphy looked at me!' Jonathan exclaimed to himself as he watched her walked by. He rubbed his hands together in glee. "Come on guys, we'd better go to class." He told his friends before he started walking down the hall in the opposite direction from Kathy and Tim, a spring in his step.  
  
It was great to be back in school, Kathy thought as she walked through the halls before classes on Monday. Holding Tim's hand; walking so close to him, seeing all their friends.  
  
'Yes this sweet, smart and sexy guy is mine, girls, all mine! He loves me and I love him!' Kathy's smile brightened by several watts as she thought that. Just then, she heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh and glanced to the side of the hallway. 'Oh it's that weirdo, Jonathan Wozniak.' Kathy thought as she glanced away and tightened her hand on Tim's.  
  
"Kathy, you okay?" Tim asked when he felt her hand tighten within his grasp, saw that her smile was frozen on her face and her eyes were seeking his.  
  
"Yeah, it's just that we just passed that weirdo Jonathan Wozniak," Kathy whispered. "He asked me out and won't take "no" for an answer. He gives me the creeps."  
  
"When was this, you never mentioned it before?" Tim asked, worried.  
  
"Well just two times last semester when we had U.S. Government together. I am so glad I don't have any classes with him this semester." Kathy said.  
  
"Well it looks like he and his goons have gone in the other direction for now. Let me know if he ever bothers you again, okay?" Tim asked.  
  
"Okay, I knew you'd make me feel better, thank you." Kathy said going up on tiptoe to plant a quick kiss on his lips.   
  
"Mr. Hogan, Miss Murphy, you'd better get moving along now. We can't have our two best students arriving late for homeroom, can we?" A teacher asked.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Miller, how're you doing?" Tim asked his sixth period Trigonometry teacher.  
  
"Fine, Tim, fine. Well, I'll be looking to seeing you in sixth period, Tim and you, Kathy in first period...that is if you aren't late for homeroom, first."  
  
"Yeah; see you then Mr. Miller." Tim said.  
  
"Bye Mr. Miller." Kathy said as Tim drew her by the hand to her nearby homeroom door and then jogged down the hall to his.  
  
Tim and Kathy had second period Computer Programming together and arrived at the computer lab, one right after the other and found their usual seats next to each other. A moment later, Tommy Lindquist, a friend of Tim's came in and walked over to where the couple was sitting.  
  
"Hey, have you heard about the new teacher, replacing Mr. Stevenson? Woo hoo, is she a cute little number! I just had her for first period."  
  
"Tommy!" Kathy said reprovingly. Tim glanced from Kathy to Tommy with a grin.  
  
"As disrespectful as it is to refer to a teacher that way...what do you mean by 'she's a cute little number'?" Tim couldn't help but ask.  
  
"Well...you know...she's young and cute and if she's 5'1" in her stocking feet, I'm...ten feet tall. She's got long, gorgeous brown hair too...and you know how I love long hair!"  
  
"Yeah we know, Tommy. So what's her name?" Tim asked.  
  
"Oh it's uh...Mrs. Evans." Tommy answered.  
  
"So she's married...you usually have good enough luck with the ladies that you don't have to go after the married ones, Tommy." Tim remarked.  
  
"Well I'm not going to go after her...but I sure am going to arrive in time for first period from now on!" Tommy joked.  
  
"A positive influence on our youth already and it's only her first day; impressive." Kathy chimed in with a straight face but dancing eyes.  
  
"Huh?" Tommy asked but Kathy didn't get a chance to respond since their teacher came in just then and everyone had to sit down.  
  
"Boy I don't know why I'm so frightened of Jon Wozniak all of a sudden. What if he tries to talk to me in the hallway?" Kathy asked as they left their classroom.   
  
"I'm sure you'll be fine but I can walk you to your classes anyway...make sure my girl is safe and happy." Tim squeezed her hand.  
  
"Your girl, Mr. Hogan?" Kathy asked, on eyebrow raised.  
  
"Well...I'm your guy...so you're my girl! Beside you should know by now that I would never think of owning you..." Tim said earnestly.  
  
"I know, Tim. I was just teasing you...man, you are so easy sometimes!" Kathy giggled, as they arrived at their next class.  
  
Kathy and Tim had lunch together with some of their other friends and then split up to go to their fourth period classes. Tim came out of that class and walked over to pick up Kathy, so they could walk to AP Bio together.  
  
"Hey Tim." Shelly Novak, a friend of Kathy's came out of the classroom. "Kathy had to go visit the...lady's room and asked me to tell you that you should go ahead to Biology and she'll meet you there."  
  
"Are you sure?" Tim asked. He knew that the lady's room was at the other end of the hall from where their next class was, but still...  
  
"Yeah I'm sure. Kathy said that you'll be able to walk her to AP Bio for the rest of the semester, only not today." Shelley said.  
  
"Well, okay...Thanks." Tim said and headed towards their classroom.  
  
He walked in and saw that only a few students had arrived so far.  
  
"Hi, can you tell me your name, please?" A pleasant voice asked and Tim turned towards it.  
  
"Um, I'm Tim Hogan...ma'am."  
  
"Hogan...Tim...ah here you are." The lady made a mark on her attendance list and then smiled up at him. "I'm Mrs. Evans. It's nice to meet you. I see that you have an excellent academic record, Tim. I look forward to having you in my class."  
  
"Uh thank you, Mrs. Evans. I enjoy science and hope to become a veterinarian, like my dad."  
  
"Hey great! Well, why don't you take your normal seat and we'll get started soon."  
  
Tim nodded and went to the second row, center lab table-for-two, which he and Kathy preferred. He put his books down and looked up to see Mrs. Evans greeting the other students as they came in. At the last minute, Kathy came rushing in. She was greeted by their teacher as well and then came over to sit besides Tim.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked. Kathy was never late.  
  
"Yeah, it's just...that time of the month." Kathy whispered and Tim grimaced.  
  
"Oh...well would you like a back rub after school?" He asked.  
  
"That would be great! My back is killing me." Kathy smiled thankfully up at him.  
  
Tim smiled back at Kathy and then turned his attention back to their new teacher and was surprised to see her watching them with a far-away look in her eyes.  
  
'Those two only superficially look like Max and I when we were that age, but boy do they bring back good memories of our time in AP Bio!' Liz thought to herself as she watched the boy greet his girlfriend.  
  
Tim came out of their biology class very impressed with Mrs. Evans. Yes, she was very pretty; she reminded him of Kathy...or vice-versa, he thought. But he liked her as a teacher too. She really knew her stuff and had already been able to spread her excitement for the subject to some of her students. She also knew how to handle hormone-riddled teenage boys and without bruising their egos too much, either.  
  
"I'll see you after French." Tim told Kathy. "Would you like to go to Miller's after school and study?"  
  
"Well how about we go to Miller's for a snack and then to your house to...study?" Kathy suggested, instead.  
  
"To study, huh?" Tim grinned wickedly. "What do you think we should study?"  
  
"Why biology of course. Mrs. Evans did give us homework." Tim's grin disappeared.  
  
"Oh, that kind of biology." He said disappointed.  
  
"Well...I'm sure we could make some time to study Your kind of biology...too." Kathy whispered into his ear and then blew into it as well.  
  
"Good!" Tim's voice came out like a squeak; he tried again. "Good, that would be...very good." He said, back in his normal voice range. "I'll see you after class." And then he took off to his own sixth period class, Gym, where he could work off some of this extra energy he had all of a sudden.  
  
Two and a half hours later, Tim let Kathy into the back door of his home. They had spent some time at Miller's, the local teen hangout with some of their friends and then come to Tim's to...study.  
  
"Hey Bridgett are you home?" Tim called out.  
  
"Yes, yes I'm home. Where have you been? I've been waiting for over an hour. Hi Kathy!"  
  
"Hi Bridgett; it sounds like you have some good news or something juicy to tell us." Kathy encouraged Tim's sister.  
  
"Juicy...oh yeah!" Bridgett exclaimed, bouncing on her toes.  
  
"Well, what is it?" Tim grinned.  
  
"I know you two have Mrs. Evans for AP Bio, right?" They nodded. "Well I have her for sixth period Junior Biology...she's a great teacher isn't she?"  
  
"Yes she is, but don't stop now." Tim said.  
  
"Well, at the end of class, Mary, Debbie and I stayed in class for a few minutes, talking while we got our stuff together...when He came in!"  
  
"He? He who?" Kathy asked.  
  
"Mr. Evans! He came to pick up Mrs. Evans after her first day of school, I guess..."  
  
"And?" Tim asked.  
  
"Oh man you guys; Mr. Evans is So Cute! Gorgeous, amber-colored eyes that could just look straight into your soul, long eyelashes any girl would die to own, high cheekbones, great head of dark brown hair with just a little bit of gray at the sideburns and he had these bangs falling over his forehead and oh...he looked Fantastic in the three-piece suit he was wearing! He must have some great body to fill out that suit so well." Bridgett just stood there with a dreamy look on her face.  
  
"How do you know what color eyes he has, much less whether or not they could look into someone's soul?" Tim teasingly asked.  
  
"'Cause that was what he did when he came into the room...before he noticed we were there. He walked slowly up to her with this kinda sexy walk he has and just stood there holding her hands and staring into her eyes for, like...minutes. I think he would have kissed her only just then, Mary dropped her textbook. Arrrgh!" Bridget stamped her foot in remembered frustration. "Oh but then Mrs. Evans introduced us and while we were shaking hands, I noticed his amber eyes!"  
  
"No comments on his voice? What, didn't he speak or did he have a lisp?" Tim teased.  
  
"O-h-h no, Mr. Evans does Not have a lisp; he has this almost bass voice, but he speaks softly, gently!" Bridget shuddered at the memory and then giggled.  
  
"Well...that was...quite a description." Kathy smiled. "I think I need a drink to cool myself down!" She playfully fanned herself with her hand.  
  
"I'll get you one. Why don't you go up to my room and I'll bring drinks up in a minute." Tim said and Kathy nodded.  
  
"So you like Mrs. Evans as a teacher?" Tim asked his sister as he poured drinks for himself and Kathy.   
  
"Oh yeah, I know I'm gong to enjoy biology with Mrs. Evans. She just makes everything so interesting; even on the first day. What about you, do you like her?" Bridget asked her big brother.  
  
"Yeah, I do. I really liked Mr. Stevenson, but I think I'll like Mrs. Evans even more. You're right; she certainly has an exciting way of teaching science. Now, I'm going to go up and study with Kathy, don't bug us okay? Our Mrs. Evans gave us a lot of homework." Tim said and Bridget nodded. She waited until he was halfway up the stairs.  
  
"Remember, you're supposed to keep your door open if you have a girl in there!" Bridget giggled when she heard his door close, but decided not to bug him about it or tell their parents. As much as she lived to nag her big brother, she loved him and she thought that Kathy was perfect for him. Maybe they'd get married someday soon and she could be a bride's-maid...  
  
An hour later, Kathy put down the textbook she's been reading while laying on her stomach on top of Tim's full-sized bed and looked over to where her boyfriend was studying at his desk.  
  
"Hey, I thought you promised me a back rub." She reminded him.  
  
"Mmmm, you're right, I did." Tim agreed, getting up from his desk chair and coming over to where she lay. "Is it your lower back that's bothering you?"  
  
When Kathy nodded, he crawled up on the bed and straddled her legs before leaning over and starting to massage her back through her blouse.  
  
"This would work better if you lost the blouse and I could use rubbing oil." Tim suggested.  
  
"Yes it would." Kathy agreed, groaning; Tim had done that for her once before. "But I don't think that would be a good idea with your sister in the house and your parents due home any time now."  
  
"Yeah, you're right." Tim agreed, but he pulled her blouse out of her slacks and rubbed the soft skin on her lower back anyway. "That's all I can reach, how does that feel?" He asked as he increased the pressure on her back muscles.  
  
"Mmmm, sssooo good!" Kathy slurred, she was so relaxed.  
  
"How's this, does this feel good too?" Tim asked as he leaned over and nuzzled her neck.  
  
"Mmmm, good!"  
  
"And this?" He nibbled on her earlobe.  
  
"Oh yeah, do that again." Kathy requested and Tim bent to comply.  
  
"T-i-m-m, Mom and Dad are home." Bridget yelled just then.  
  
"Rats!" Tim exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah." Kathy agreed but she rolled over and sat up while Tim still straddled her legs. "You're going to have to get off me so I can stand up and neaten my clothing...so you don't get grounded for a month, for having me up here..." Kathy warned and Tim reluctantly got off the bed and helped her to stand.  
  
"Here let me help you tuck your blouse in!" Tim teased as he drew her close to kiss her and reached his hands around her slim waist to tuck the blouse into her slacks.  
  
"Stop that, you!" Kathy just as playfully slapped his wandering hands away, but mostly she missed his hands and hit herself.  
  
"Well if I knew you were into spanking, I wouldn't have bothered with all that massaging and stroking..." Tim teased.  
  
"I think that...spanking...is something I'd only let my...husband try." Kathy replied meaningfully and saw Tim's eyes glaze over.  
  
"Well...um...maybe that's...something...we'll have to discuss...some time."   
  
"Let's do that." Kathy said.  
  
"Anyway your husband will be a very lucky man, with or without the...spanking."  
  
"Yes...he will!" Kathy laughed as she quickly gathered up her books and ran out of the room and Tim followed her down the stairs.  
  
"Hello Doctor and Mrs. Hogan." Kathy said as she saw Tim's parents in the living room.  
  
"Hello Kathy. Are you leaving us dear? You know you're always welcome to stay to dinner."  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Hogan, but I'd better get home." Kathy said as she and Tim stepped outside and got into his SUV so he could drive her home.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow; sweet dreams honey." Tim said drawing Kathy and her armload of books into his arms for a thorough good night kiss after he had pulled up in front of her home.  
  
"You too. I love you, Tim." Kathy said before she got out of the car.  
  
"I love you too, honey." Tim said as he watched her walk up to her front door and go inside.  
Part 4  
  
On the Friday of that same week, at the end of April, posters were put up at school and information packets sent home with the students, about the Senior Prom to be held on Saturday, May 25th. The next day, a large basket of red roses arrived at Kathy's house with a note saying "Will you go to the Prom with me?" She became excited until she saw that it was signed by Jonathan Wozniak. Then she became frightened and then...angry.  
  
"Oh no, I thought he'd given up on me. I've only seen him around a few times this semester, but now...I have to go tell Tim about this." She left the living room and headed for the kitchen, still carrying the basket of roses.  
  
"Oh Honey, did Tim send you those roses, they're beautiful!" Mrs. Murphy smiled at her daughter.   
  
"No they're from a guy named Jon Wozniak. I should have known they weren't from Tim right away, he knows I like yellow daisies best." Kathy was putting on her coat.  
  
"Honey, where are you going with those roses?" Mrs. Murphy asked when she saw Kathy pick up the basket and open the back door.  
  
"With the roses...I'm going to the garage to throw them out. Then I'm going to drive over to Tim's and tell him about this."  
  
"Oh...okay, honey. But it seams a silly waste of such lovely flowers, to throw them out." Mrs. Murphy said.  
  
"I don't want to see, smell or touch anything that guy sends me." Kathy said on her way out.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hi Kathy, Tim's up in his room, studying." Bridget grinned at her when she opened the door to Kathy.  
  
"Thanks Bridgett." Kathy said before she walked upstairs.  
  
"May I come in?" Kathy asked before entering Tim's room.  
  
"And if I said no?" Tim teased as Kathy walked across the room.  
  
"I'd come in anyway, I need you right now." Kathy said, desperately, as she threw herself into Tim's instantly opened arms.  
  
"Kathy, sweetheart, what's wrong?" This was not a passionate Kathy, but a distraught Kathy.  
  
"Jon Wozniak sent me a dozen red roses and asked me to go to the Prom with him today." Kathy's voice was muffled a little as she spoke from where she had pressed herself against Tim's chest.  
  
"I thought you preferred yellow daisies...to roses." Tim replied.  
  
"I do...and I prefer you as my Prom date...over everyone." Kathy pulled away enough to tell him that.  
  
"I'm sorry Jon got to you before me. I was going to ask you over dinner next Friday." Tim murmured.  
  
"Well I knew that weeks ago...or at least that you were going to ask me...and that I was going to accept, so don't worry about the timing; just help me figure out what to do about that...weirdo." Kathy said.  
  
"I'll go talk to him...make him understand." Tim offered.  
  
"Oh...I'd really like to be able to let you do that; be my brave defender...but I know I have to face this myself...face Jon and tell him myself." Kathy said. "Actually I wish I could just call him and tell him no, but I don't think that will work."  
  
"Will you let me go with you? I'll stand back; let you do all the talking...but if he tries anything..."  
  
"Oh yes please. I want to be a brave, empowered...woman, who can handle her own problems but..." Kathy trailed off.  
  
"My dad always taught us that it's more mature to ask for help when you need it." Tim said.  
  
"Boy, you are so good for my ego!" Kathy laughed, kissing him soundly.  
  
Tim kissed her back, tightening his arms around her slim waist and blocking out the world for a few minutes, but then Kathy pulled back, gasping for breath.  
  
"Did you want to drive over to his house right now?" Tim asked.  
  
"I...guess so...might as well get this over with. But I'm not going inside; I'll ask him to step outside." Kathy decided.  
  
"Good idea, private but not too private, let's go." Tim said, taking her hand.  
  
~*~  
  
"How about if I just wait by my car, while you talk to him on his front porch?" Tim suggested.  
  
"G-gr-eat." Kathy stuttered; she was getting nervous.  
  
"But I can always come with you..." Tim said.  
  
"No, I'll do it; I can do it." Kathy said, positively as they got out of the car and she walked up to the front door. 'I just hope he's home.' She thought.  
  
"Mrs. Wozniak?" Kathy asked when a woman answered her knock. "I'm Kathy Murphy, I go to Jefferson High. Is Jon home, I need to speak to him, please."  
  
"Yes, Jon's home, won't you come in?" Mrs. Wozniak offered, looking over this girl's shoulder to see a boy leaning up against a car parked in front of her house.  
  
"Um, no thank you, Ma'am. Could Jon just come outside for a moment, please?"  
  
"Well...all right, I'll go get him." Mrs. Wozniak said, before closing the front door and leaving Kathy outside. 'What is Jon up to now?' She wondered.  
  
Just a few minutes later, the front door flew open and Jon came out, grinning.  
  
"I guess you got my flowers...I knew you'd come...you're not the kind of girl to just thank a guy over the phone!"  
  
"To thank you...?" Kathy asked, uncertain.  
  
"For the flowers...the invitation. I am the luckiest guy in school..." Jon grinned.  
  
"Jon..." Kathy tried to interrupt.  
  
"...to attend the Prom with Kathy Murphy, the most beautiful girl at Jefferson." Jon exclaimed, off in his own little fantasy world.  
  
"Jon, Stop!" Kathy cried out, breaking into his monologue.  
  
"Huh?" Jon asked, confused.  
  
"I came here to tell you that I can't go to the Prom with you because I'm going with Tim." Kathy tried to say gently, but firmly.  
  
"But I sent you flowers...you came to my house..." Jon argued.  
  
"To tell you privately and in person, so there would be no misunderstandings." Kathy said.  
  
"But..." Jon tried to interrupt.  
  
"Jon, you know that I'm going steady with Tim Hogan; I have been for almost a year..." John finally looked beyond Kathy and saw Tim leaning against his car with his arms crossed...watching them.  
  
"He's making you do this, isn't he? You didn't come alone; he brought you and told you to say those things!" Jon's voice started to rise.  
  
"No Jon. I am the who is telling you that I do Not want to go to the Prom with you...I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt your feelings..." Kathy said, feeling awful.  
  
"But you are...hurting my feelings, Kathy. You said you can't go to the Prom with me the first time and now you're saying you don't want to..."  
  
"That's right, Jon. I want to go with Tim." Kathy said.  
  
Jon nodded as if he finally understood and accepted what Kathy was saying, but really he was retreating back into his fantasy world, in which she was his girlfriend and he would make a triumphant entrance at the Prom, with her on his arm.  
  
"Well, can we still be friends?" Jon asked and Kathy hesitated. She didn't want to be cruel, but she didn't want to lie or give him any false hopes, either.  
  
"Jon." She said in her gentlest voice. "I don't even know you. We go to the same school, but that's it. You can't be friends with someone you know nothing about."  
  
"You could get to know me..." Jon said. Kathy sighed, not knowing what to say.  
  
"I have to go now." Kathy finally said and turned to go.  
  
"Sure...I'll see you at school then, thanks for coming by, Kathy." Jon called.  
  
Kathy's eyes became huge in frustration as she walked away from him. She silently mouthed to Tim; "I don't believe that guy!" But Jon didn't see that.  
  
'She hesitated when I asked her if we could still be friends, she Wants to still be my friend and get to know me better! Everything will be okay. She just needs some time to think about it and then I'll ask her again.' Jon thought silently, as he waved her good bye before going back into his house.  
  
"Who was that?" Mrs. Wozniak asked her son, when he came back inside.  
  
"Just a girl from school. She wants me to take her to the Prom." Jon answered on his way back up to his bedroom.  
  
"That didn't look like he got your message." Tim said as he helped Kathy into his car.  
  
"I don't know, I thought he'd finally accepted it, but the way he called out to me as I was leaving... I just don't know." Kathy said sadly.  
  
"It'll be alright, Kathy." Tim squeezed her hand. 'But if it's not, I will have a talk with him.' Tim assured himself as they drove away.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
That same Saturday, Max brought mugs of hot coffee outside for himself and Liz, who was sitting on their back patio, watching their children play. The temperature was in the fifties but it was sunny; pretty normal for early April in the Boston area, but the kids didn't seem to mind.  
  
Nine year old Luke was playing catch with two of his friends. Six year old Miriam was wearing her Wonder Woman cape and her two friends were wearing a Batgirl and (modified) Xena costume as they ran around the back yard rescuing their stuffed animals from the perilous heights of tree branches, the slippery top of the slide, or the danger of being buried alive by her three year old brother, Josh, who with two of his friends were playing in the sandbox.  
  
"These are the magical moments I savor...watching our children playing...living normal, happy lives." Liz grinned up at Max as she accepted her mug and watched him sit down next to her. She relished the feeling as he put his arm around her shoulders and drew her into his side and his warmth.  
  
"This is what we fought for all those years ago; what we dreamed of as we grew up in Roswell." Max said, but Liz recognized the look in her husband's eyes.  
  
"You wish you could have had times like this with Zan." Liz said compassionately.  
  
"Yeah...I wish I could have, but we wouldn't have had times like this, even if I'd kept him, we were always on the run and we were at war when he would have been seven years old. I just hope and pray he's had a safe and happy life with his adoptive parents...that They shared such magical moments together." Max let his head drop onto Liz's shoulder as she gathered him close to her.  
  
"Of course you do and so do I...maybe someday...you two will meet..." Liz offered.  
  
"He's almost eighteen and he has a father, he wouldn't need another one, he wouldn't need me hanging around, trying to catch up on old times." Max said.  
  
"No...but maybe if you ever do meet him...you could become his...friend." Liz suggested gently.  
  
"That would be nice..." Max sighed wistfully before they went back to watching their precious children play.  
  
As he watched them, Max thought back over his life; the hardships and the ironies. Being killed in his first life; being cloned as a hybrid and sent to Earth; crashing on Earth; being left on Earth without any help or clue as to why he, Isabel and Michael were there, or where they had come from. Their enemies including, in the end, Nascedo and Tess, coming to Roswell and filling their minds with the lie called Destiny...and trying to kill them, time and time again. Learning that he was a king, but having no way to get home, to help his people. Being tricked into getting Tess pregnant with his son; a son who was Human and therefore was rejected by Khivar...who had made the deal with Nascedo in the first place! Giving up his son to keep him safe. Fighting the government to stay free, but finally winning. And the biggest irony of all was that their children; his, Isabel's and Michael's were all Human! Their Human DNA had proved dominant over their alien DNA and provided them all with their beloved, Human offspring. So in a way, Max thought of his life as a total waste; nothing had gone right since the moment he had been cloned...  
  
'And thank God it hadn't!' He thought.   
  
He could say that now, devoutly. Liz and everything that had happened to him during the last seventeen years; especially his children had proven to him that there was a God. Max thanked Him again that his children had never developed powers of any kind. They would never be set apart from others, hunted like animals or have to return to a planet and a people they had never known. They could be given everything their parents had ever dreamed of and more.  
  
"They make everything worthwhile, don't they, Liz?" Max asked his soul-mate.  
  
"They certainly do...and so do you, Max; remember that." Liz said lovingly, as she curled into him some more.  
  
"You too, my love...you too." Max whispered.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
"Max, we received an invitation to a party. It was hand-delivered today." Liz told her husband the next day. "It's to celebrate Henry Smythe's fiftieth birthday on May seventeenth and it's being held at their country club. Do you think you'll be in town in three weeks? Do you want to go?"   
  
"I don't have any assignments scheduled and I'll keep that night clear...if you want to go. Henry and Joyce are nice people." Max read the invitation Liz handed to him. "Hey this says that there will be a live band and that there's a dance floor at the country club! Now we gotta go; any chance to dance with my lady-love!" Liz moved closer.  
  
"Yes, Joyce and Henry are nice people and yes...any chance to dance with my brave knight!" Liz put her arms around Max's strong neck and tip-toed up to kiss him.  
  
"So I've been downgraded from king to a knight, huh?" Max teased.  
  
"Hey you did that yourself, seventeen years ago, fella." Liz smiled up at him. "But you're still a brave and cunning warrior...my gentle knight." Liz assured him.  
  
"We should practice; come my lady-wife...may I have this dance?" Max asked as their CD-player turned itself on and "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers drifted out through the speakers....   
  
Part 5  
  
On May 1st, Wednesday of that next week, Tim was passing Bridget's room and glanced in.  
  
"Hey Bridge, that project you're working on looks great!" He exclaimed. His sister had a teacher who liked to give his students "projects" and so Bridget was usually building something. This evening she had her project spread out all over her bedroom floor.  
  
"Thanks, I'm almost done. I just have to attach these pieces to the base. Will you help me carry it into school like last time?" She asked.  
  
"Sure, Bridge." Tim assured her.  
  
"And don't call me bridge, my name is Bridget."  
  
"Okay, Gidget!" Tim laughed before he exited her room.  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning, Tim was helping to carry Bridget's project to her classroom, when Kathy caught up with them.  
  
"Hi you two. Will you let me see that project of yours, which took my place in Tim's SUV this morning?"  
  
"Yeah sure, as soon as we get it to Mr. Mark's classroom." Bridget said.  
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you a ride this morning, Kathy." Tim murmured.  
  
"Don't worry about it; I told you that my Mom would give me a ride this morning." Kathy assured him.  
  
The little procession arrived at the classroom and placed the project in its proper place.  
  
"Ta Da!" Bridget took the protective covering away.  
  
"Hey kiddo, that looks great!" Kathy exclaimed.  
  
"Tim will you be able to help me take it back home tomorrow afternoon, after Mr. Mark has graded it?"  
  
"Yeah sure, Bridge, but Kathy and I better get to our homerooms now." Tim said as he put his arm around his girlfriend's waist to guide her out of the room.  
  
"My name is Bridget!" Tim heard his sister yell behind them and he grinned.  
  
"Why do you tease her so much?" Kathy asked. She was an only child and could never understand their relationship.  
  
"It's my job." Tim said instantly. "Just like it's her job to be a brat; it means we love each other."  
  
"Uh huh." Kathy said skeptically.  
  
"Never mind. I haven't been able to give you your good morning kiss yet." Tim said as he drew Kathy into a space besides some lockers. Both of his hands threaded their way into her glossy brown tresses, pushing it back away from her beautiful face, while he drew her body closer to his.  
  
"Good -kiss- morning -kiss- Sweet -kiss- heart." He gave her a little kiss on the lips between each word.  
  
"Mmmm, morning Honey." Kathy kissed him back; her arms up around his neck playing with the hair at his collar.  
  
Just then the bell rang and they reluctantly broke away.  
  
"Come on, I'll walk you to homeroom." Tim said, keeping his arm around her waist.  
  
"Tim...I think, I think Jon has been following me." Kathy whispered.  
  
"Are you sure?" Tim asked, concerned.  
  
"Well...no. I only ever see him out of the corner of my eye or just half of his face, peeking around a corner, but I'm pretty sure it's him."  
  
"This is getting worrisome; I'll have a talk with him. Has he spoken to you at all, said any more about the Prom?"  
  
"No he hasn't spoken to me. I almost never see him in the halls. I don't know, let's leave it alone for now..."  
  
"Kathy..."  
  
"No, don't say anything to him yet. It's probably just my imagination. I shouldn't have said anything."  
  
"I don't like this, but if you won't let me talk to him, I want you to promise me that you'll be more careful and be on the look-out."  
  
"I will, I promise." Kathy said, hugging him.  
  
"Okay, you'd better go in and I'll see you later." Tim said, hugging her back and kissing her brow.  
  
~*~  
  
The next day, Tim walked to Bridget's classroom after school to help carry her grade-A project out to the car. He and Kathy had been on the look-out for Jon, but hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. As he walked down the hall, he passed by Mrs. Evans' room and glanced in. His petite biology teacher was working at her desk. He smiled, thinking back over the last eight school days and how much he was enjoying his class with her.  
  
The hallway was still half-full of students and Tim had to weave his way between them. Suddenly, he pumped into someone and looked up into a man's face. He had long hair, the strands on the top of his head were pulled into a little ponytail at the back and several strands had come loose and were hanging around his unshaven face. He was wearing a black t-shirt, dark blue jeans and a worn black-leather biker's jacket.  
  
"Sorry." Tim said, but the man never looked at him, his amber eyes were focused somewhere behind Tim, who had noticed all these things in the instant before the man passed him by.  
  
'Wouldn't want to meet up with that guy in a dark alley.' Tim thought to himself. 'Or in a brightly lit hallway for that matter. Where's he going?' Tim turned around and saw through the thinning crowd that the stranger was going into Mrs. Evans' classroom. 'Hey wait a minute; what does that guy want with Mrs. Evans?' Tim asked himself as he threaded his way back the way he had come.  
  
When Tim reached the classroom door, he was ready to barge in, but what he saw made him come to a halt in utter amazement. The stranger was slowly walking into the room, his gaze locked on Mrs. Evans, who was slowly rising from her chair. Her eyes were locked with his and she had such a beautiful, love-filled smile on her face that Tim found himself blushing...but he could not walk away. As Mrs. Evans came around her desk they continued to circle each other. For a brief moment, Tim saw the man's face and it mirrored hers in its happiness. They finished circling until they were standing facing each other and presenting their profiles to Tim. The classroom's lights were turned off, but ample light came in through the windows. The two adults were back-lit so Tim could barely see their expressions, but saw instead their silhouettes standing one foot apart...   
  
...The man reached out and took Mrs. Evans' left hand. Tim could see the reverence with which he kissed her knuckles, right above her wedding rings. Then she drew the hand holding hers up until it reached her cheek. Just enough light showed so that Tim could see as the man gently caressed her smooth skin. She turned her head and kissed his palm, her smaller hand holding his to her lips. Her eyes turned back up to his and he brought his other hand up to cradle her face. One hand slid through her hair until it cupped the back of her head. He pulled her closer until no light showed between their bodies and he dipped his head to kiss her. First her closed eyelids, then her cheeks, her nose and then finally her lips. Their arms circled each other pulling them even closer; hers around his neck and his around her waist.  
  
'I don't want to believe that Mrs. Evans is having an affair with this guy.' Tim thought to himself. 'I saw the faint glint of a wedding band on his finger...and Bridget said Mr. Evans has amber eyes...and I think this guy had eyes that color when I saw him in the hallway...Could this scruffy looking guy be Mr. Evans? Where's the three-piece suit, Bridget was drooling over? This guy looks like he just attended a Harley convention.'  
As Tim watched the couple, wondering who the man was, no memory of the boy from his dream came to mind. Once ended, the dream would quickly retreat from his conscious memory so there was no sense of familiarity or recognition of his father, for Tim.  
  
Just then, Tim heard an unexpected sound; a giggle...coming from Mrs. Evans.  
  
"Max, your beard is ticklish!" Mrs. Evans broke away from their kiss and laughed up at her husband.  
  
"Sorry Liz, I just got back and had to see you. I only stopped at home to clean up a little before I came over; I didn't think too much about which clothes I put on or about shaving. I hated being away from my soul-mate for even these five days."  
  
"As did I, my love." Liz said, stroking his cheek tenderly.  
  
'My love?' Whoa, this is way past too personal. I have to get out of here.' Tim thought and quietly tip-toed past the doorway and made his way to where Bridget would be waiting for him.  
  
~*~  
  
"Where have you been, I've been waiting for ever!" Bridget exclaimed when Tim arrived at Mr. Mark's classroom.  
  
"Sorry, Bridge, I was walking by Mrs. Evans' room and saw this suspicious guy walk by me and go into her room, so I followed him, but I think, I think it was Mr. Evans after all."  
  
"What do you mean a suspicious looking man? How could Mr. Evans look suspicious?" Bridget asked, but Tim asked another question instead.  
  
"Tell me, does Mr. Evans have long hair? You didn't mention that when you described meeting him last week."  
  
"Oh yeah, he does, except he always has it neatly brushed into this little ponytail at the back of his head. Only some of his bangs fall down over his forehead."  
  
"And he has amber-colored eyes?" Tim asked.  
  
"Yeah, Tim...!" Bridget tried to interrupt.  
  
"Do you know his first name?" Tim persisted.  
  
"I think I heard Mrs. Evans call him Max once." Bridget answered and Tim nodded.  
  
"Yeah okay, that must have been Mr. Evans then. He just looked so different from how you described him." Tim said.  
  
"How did he look?" Bridget asked, eyes wide.  
  
"He had his hair down except the top part, which was pulled back and that was kind of messy. He was unshaven and was wearing a black t-shirt, jeans and a black leather jacket."  
  
"Oh man, I gotta see that! Bridget exclaimed and moved to rush out of the room.  
  
"Wait a minute, Bridge." Tim caught her arm. "Even if they're still there, I think they'll want some privacy. It sounded as thought Mr. Evans has been out of town for a while and they were..."  
  
"What? They were what?" Bridget cried.  
  
"Just kissing, but there was so much...love and adoration in their kisses...I really felt like an intruder, as I watched for a moment from the doorway."  
  
"You did? Wow!" Bridget sighed. "I wish I could have seen that."  
  
"You're too young." Tim told her.  
  
"I'm only a year younger than you." Bridget argued.  
  
"I'm too young too!" Tim grinned. 'Although, Mr. Evans certainly gave me some good ideas.' Tim thought. 'Kathy loves the looking-into-your-soul-thing I've developed...and so do I!' "Come on, let's go home." Tim hugged Bridget and walked over to help her pick up her project.  
  
"So, your teacher gave you an A on this thing, huh? Great! I know you worked hard on it."  
  
Brother and sister carried the project out, put it into the SUV and drove home.  
  
~*~  
  
Back in her school room, Max and Liz came out of their second long kiss and leaned their foreheads against each other.  
  
"I've missed you so much, Liz." Max whispered.  
  
"Me too Max; let's go home."  
  
"Home, that sounds so good!" Max grinned as Liz picked up her purse and he picked up her briefcase, then he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and they walked out of the room.  
  
"This briefcase is pretty heavy, Honey. You weren't...planning on grading papers all night...were you?"  
  
"No, sweetheart, those are materials I want to look over for the teacher's workshop, weekend after next. I don't have to look at them tonight at all...In fact...I have other plans for tonight!"  
  
"Oh?" Max asked hopefully.  
  
"Uh huh. Connie offered to have the kids stay over at her and Kyle's house tonight..."  
  
"Oh?" Max asked again, grinning boyishly. "What did you have planned for this weary traveler?"  
  
"Oh...his favorite meal, some firelight...maybe a back massage and then..." Liz trailed off.  
  
"And then?" Max asked.  
  
"Well if you're still awake, we can try..." Liz whispered the rest in Max's ear.  
  
"Oh Boy; I'm wide awake now!" And they quickened their pace to rush home.  
Part 6  
Just over a week later, on that next Saturday, Liz scrambled around her office/library/guest room, collecting all the hand-outs and other materials needed for the teacher's bi-monthly workshop that was to be held that day.  
  
"Need help carrying all of that out to the car, Liz?" A sleepy-eyed Max offered.  
  
"Oh yes, thank you Max." Liz said smiling up at her thoughtful husband. Max had arrived back from his latest security assignment at two that morning. He must be exhausted but Liz knew that wouldn't stop him from getting up so that he could see her before she left for the day.  
  
"It's been a real rush to get all of this together. I don't know where the time went." Liz exclaimed.  
  
"The kids have kept you pretty busy with all of their activities this month and I haven't been able to help you as much as I'd like, as much as I should." Max replied.  
  
"You've been working a lot of long hours, Max; it's not your fault. I just worry that you're working too hard...you look so tired..."  
  
"I'll be find Liz and this month shouldn't be so busy; Jack's hiring some new men for the firm." Max assured her.  
  
"Good. I miss having my husband around." Liz tip-toed up and kissed his mouth; running her hand over a day's worth of beard.  
  
"So Isabel's going to come over and watch Luke and Josh while Miri and I take Ebony to the V.E.T., right?" Max asked as the two of them carried all of Liz's materials out to her car.  
  
"Yeah, she'll be here around 9:30 and the appointment's for 10:00." Max nodded.  
  
"I'll take the carrier back into the house now, so it can warm up."   
  
A few minutes later Liz was ready to leave.  
  
"Bye Max, see you tonight." Liz put her arms up around his strong neck and gave him a deep, lasting kiss good-bye.  
  
"Bye Sweetheart, have fun." Max hugged her one more time before letting go.  
  
~*~  
  
Max was a little embarrassed about the way he looked as he and Miriam carried Ebony into the animal clinic. When he had gotten out of bed to make sure that he saw Liz before she left for the day, Max had just put on his jeans from the day before over his T-shirt and shorts. He had meant to get a shower and a shave, but as soon as he had brought the cat-carrier into the house, Ebony had made for parts unknown. Max and the kids had spent the next hour searching for her and then he and Miri had, had to rush to make the appointment.  
  
At 10:00, Veterinarian, Ian Hogan walked by the reception desk of his animal clinic and saw that his receptionist wasn't there, but a pet owner was, waiting patiently. The younger man was unshaven; his long hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing a ratty grey T-shirt, jeans and a bettered black-leather jacket.  
  
'Hmmm, tough-looking customer.' Ian thought, after a brief glance. 'Is he the owner of the Doberman I have in back?' He wondered.  
  
"May I help you sir? I'm sorry; my receptionist stepped away from the desk for a minute."  
  
"Um yes. We've brought our cat, Ebony Evans in for her physical." Max said in his usual soft voice.  
  
'We?' Ian wondered and then he leaned over the counter to see a little girl, perhaps six years old, standing beside the man. Her hair was neatly braided in pig-tails and she was wearing a new-looking jacket. A plaintive meow came from down near the floor and Ian guessed that Ebony was in a carrier at their feet.  
  
"Ah yes, Ebony Evans at 10:00 a.m." Ian checked the schedule and found the cat's file already pulled, on the desk. "Won't you come back?" He opened the door between the waiting room and the examining rooms.  
  
Mr. Evans leaned down and picked up the carrier, speaking softly to the cat inside, then took his daughter's small hand in his and drew her after him.  
  
"In here please." Ian pointed to an examining room. "And if you can get Ebony out of her carrier..."  
  
"Miri, can you get Ebony out?" Max asked after he'd placed the carrier on the floor and opened its door.  
  
"Come on Ebony, come on out." Miriam crooned to her pet. "It'll be alright, I'm here and Daddy will protect you...come on out now." The little girl coaxed the small black cat out of her carrier and picked her up in her arms, stroking the frightened feline. "I can't reach to put her up on the table, Daddy." She said.  
  
"Can you hold onto her really well, while I pick you both up and put you on the table, Miri?" Max asked and his daughter nodded.  
  
Ian watched as Mr. Evans gently picked up his daughter and her cat and placed them easily down on the exam table.  
  
"I hope it's okay if Miri stays up here too, so she can see what's going on, doctor?" Max asked in his soft voice.  
  
"Yes of course!" Ian Hogan chuckled. "A unique way of keeping your pet calm. Can you place Ebony on the scale so we can check to see how much she weights, Miri...is it?"  
  
The little girl nodded as she placed her cat on the scale. Ian noticed that Mr. Evans stayed close by to make sure that neither little girl nor little cat fell off the table and he occasionally reached out to pet the cat while keeping a gentle arm around his daughter's small back.  
  
'Well that'll teach me to judge pet owners by their clothing.' He thought as he examined the cat and gave her, her shots.  
  
"I'm just noticing that your wife, Elizabeth's name is on Ebony's chart as well as your own. I was just wondering...is she a biology teacher at Jefferson High School?"  
  
"Yes, she is." Max answered, curious.  
  
"My son, Tim and daughter, Bridget go there and they both say that Mrs. Evans is their favorite teacher. I know they enjoy taking biology from her."  
  
"Well thanks for telling me that; I'll be sure to pass that on to Liz." Max smiled. "She's at a teacher's workshop today, that's why I and my assistant Miriam here had to bring Ebony this morning."  
  
"The bi-monthly workshop? My wife's at that too. She's a biology teacher over at Madison High School. Well, this is a coincidence. Maybe our wives will meet each other today as well!" Both men smiled and shook hands.  
  
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Evans." Ian smiled. "And you too, Miri."  
  
"Nice to meet you as well, Dr. Hogan." Max said as he helped Miriam off the table with Ebony in her arms.  
  
"Bye Dr. Hogan. Thanks for takin' care of Eb'ny." Miri waved after she had put her pet into her carrier and father and daughter walked out to the reception desk to pay their bill.  
  
After Max had strapped Miri into her back safety-seat and then gotten in behind the wheel, is daughter asked.  
  
"Daddy, tell me again why we have to bring Eb'ny to the vet...since you can heal stuff..."  
  
"Yes Honey, I can heal a lot of things, but not everything, you know that. And to sense or heal things I can't see, I need to be able to make a connection, right?" Miriam nodded. "Now Ebony may think she's a superior life form but I still cannot communicate or connect with her...so I can't tell if she has worms or if something's wrong with her on the inside; that's why we need to bring her to Dr. Hogan."  
  
"Oh, okay Daddy." Mir said and Max started the car to drive the three of them home.  
  
~*~  
  
'The morning session went well.' Liz thought as she rose from her seat at the lunch break. There were several friends attending the workshop today but she had not had the chance to discuss lunch plans with them. Everyone would scatter to the nearby restaurants to eat.  
  
"Excuse me, Mrs. Evans?" A voice said nearby and Liz turned to face the speaker.  
  
"Yes...Mrs. Hogan." Liz read the other lady's name-tag and they shook hands.  
  
"I'm Maggie Hogan, I'm a biology teach over at Madison. You're at Jefferson, right?"  
  
"Yes." Liz answered.  
  
"I'm so glad to finally get a chance to meet you. My son, Tim and daughter, Bridget are in your biology classes and they are always saying how much they like you as their teacher."  
  
"Well thank you, Mrs. Hogan! That was so nice of you to tell me."   
  
"Please, call me Maggie."  
  
"Call me Liz. Yes, I enjoy having Tim and Bridget in my classes as well. They're really bright kids."  
  
'Hey Liz, Maggie, I didn't know you two knew each other." Joyce Smythe, a friend of both women said, walking up to them.  
  
"We just met. Liz has Tim and Bridget in two of her biology classes and I was just telling her how much they like having her as a teacher." Maggie explained.  
  
"Great, I know that both of you are really popular...for biology teachers!" Joyce teased. "Hey why don't you two join us? A bunch of us were going to have lunch at Parkers."  
  
"Sounds great, Liz you'll come won't you?" Maggie asked.  
  
"Absolutely!" Liz agreed. 'Did I ever mention to any of these people that my parents own that restaurant?' She wondered.  
  
"I've never been there, where is it exactly?" Maggie asked Joyce.  
  
"I know where it is, why don't you drive with me?" Liz offered.  
  
"Oh great, thanks Liz." Maggie smiled.  
  
"What kind of food does Parkers serve? Is it good?" Maggie asked as both ladies got into Liz's car.  
  
"They serve a lot of Southwestern and Tex-Mex dishes but they have different pastas and general American dishes as well. Is the food good? It better be, my parents own it and my best friend manages it!" Liz explained.  
  
"Oh wonderful! Might your parents be there today so I can meet them?" Maggie asked.  
  
"They might be. "Liz said as they pulled into a parking spot and got out.  
  
When they all entered the restaurant, Liz pulled one of the waitresses aside.  
  
"Mary, we're all together. Could you pull tables five, six and seven together for us please? And are Mrs. Guerin or my parents here?"  
  
"Sure Mrs. Evans, I'll be happy to set those tables up for you and Mrs. Guerin and Mr. Parker are in the office. Would you like me to get them for you?"  
  
"Would you please? But after we're all seated."  
  
"Sure, let me go set everything up for you." Mary said and moved away.  
  
"Mary said she'd move some tables together for us if all of you can wait just a minute." Liz announced.  
  
"That'll be nice; this certainly looks like a pleasant place to eat." One of the other teachers comented.  
  
When everyone moved to sit down, Liz and Maggie Hogan sat across from each other. A moment later, Maria and Jeff came out of the back room and over to the table.  
  
"Liz!" They greeted her at the same time.  
  
"Hi Maria; Hi Dad." Liz said as her friend and her father both bent down to kiss her cheek.  
  
"And who are all of these good people visiting our fine establishment?" Jeff asked.  
  
"They're all teachers attending the workshop today, Dad." Liz explained and then raised her voice. "Everyone, this is my father, Jeff Parker; owner of this restaurant and this is my very best friend, Maria Guerin; the manager."  
  
Helloes were exchanged around the table.  
  
"Well I know how hard all of you folks work, trying to drum some knowledge into the kids today. How about if I tell you that all of your desserts are on the house?" Half of the table cheered, the other half groaned, murmuring about diets they were on. "We have freshly baked cheesecake, a chocolate-chocolate cake I'm told is to die for and several types of ice-cream sundays." Jeff grinned as this time the whole table cheered and turned to check out the dessert menu first.  
  
"Enjoy your lunch everyone." Maria offered before both she and Jeff turned back to Liz. "Michael got back this morning at, like 2:00 a.m. I guess their last assignment was a tough one. How's Max?"  
  
"He was tired this morning. I felt so sorry for him when he got himself out of bed so that he could see me for a few minutes before I left for the workshop. I hope he can get a nap in later today." Liz said.  
  
"Well at least your husband got up at all. My Spaceboy just grunted and rolled over, never even woke up." Maria said resignedly. "Listen, I'll let you get back to your lunch but I'll call you tonight, okay?" She hugged Liz and then left the table.  
  
After giving her order to the waitress, Maggie Hogan turned to her new acquaintance in hopes of leaning more about her. The conversation she had overheard had intrigued her.  
  
"So, Liz what does your husband do for a living?" Maggie asked.  
  
"Max works for a firm which provides security for business people, both in town and when they travel or when foreign business people come here." Liz answered.  
  
"How exciting! So he's sort of a bodyguard?" Maggie asked.  
  
"Well he does do that part of the job sometimes, but that's more his partner, Michael's job; Maria's husband. Max works more with securing buildings and tracing down any threats for his clients. It does mean he has to travel with clients every once in a while though. Like just this morning at 2:00 a.m., he got home, exhausted, poor sweetie." Liz explained.   
  
"My, how'd he get into such a line of work?" Maggie asked.  
  
"Well, Max has always had a...knack for helping people...and then he met his boss and now partner, Jack Scolia...and the rest is history." Liz answered. "How about your husband; what does he do for a living...actually, I think I remember Tim mentioning once that he's a veterinarian?"  
  
"Yes he is. He loves his work." Maggie said.  
  
"Why didn't I put the pieces together before? Is your husband Ian Hogan?" Maggie nodded. "Silly me, he's our veterinarian! Max and our daughter, Miriam took our cat, Ebony in for her shots this morning." Liz chuckled.   
  
The two new friends happily chatted throughout lunch and then went back to the workshop.  
  
~*~  
  
When Dr. Hogan arrived home from the clinic that night, he found his family in the kitchen and dinner almost ready.  
  
"Bridget, I remember a few weeks ago you were mooning over how cute you thought your teacher, Mrs. Evans' husband was." Ian remarked after everyone was served and started to eat.  
  
"Yes, Dad. What about him?" Bridget asked excitedly.  
  
"I saw him today but he wasn't all spit and polished this morning!" Ian chuckled at the memory of his first impression of Mr. Evans.  
  
"You did? Where?" Bridget asked.  
  
"He and his little girl brought their cat in for a check-up. But I didn't see little Miri or the cat at first and thought he looked sort of...dangerous. I thought he might be the owner of the Doberman I had in back; it looked like the two of them would be a matched set."  
  
"Why do you think that, Dad?" Tim asked. Here was another insight into Mrs. Evans' husband.  
  
"Oh he was unshaven, his long hair was kind of a mess and he was wearing scruffy clothes. You know how I tell you kids not to judge a book by its cover...well I should take my own advice."  
  
"'Cause even though he looked kinda scruffy, he's really nice, right Daddy?" Bridget asked.  
  
"Yes I think he is...at least from what I could tell during the fifteen minutes I was examining their cat. He certainly was gentle with his little girl and her pet; protective too."  
  
"Protective?" Maggie asked.  
  
"Well, little Miri Evans coaxed her cat out of her carrier, but couldn't reach up high enough to place her on the examining table so Mr. Evans picked up his daughter and the cat, all at once and then placed them both on the table. He was as careful that his daughter didn't fall off the table as the little girl was protective of her cat." Ian chuckled. "I suspect Mr. Evans would move Heaven and earth to keep his family safe and happy...there was something very...controlled and capable about that man. I wonder what he does for a living." Ian said.  
  
"He provides security for business people." Maggie said and when everyone looked at the in shock she continued. "I met Mrs. Evans at the workshop today and we had lunch together. Mr. Evans works for/with Jack Scolia; you've heard of him, Ian. It was their firm which helped Dorothy Woodcott when she and some of her female employees were being hassled and stalked. Now that I think of it, I think she said that Max Evans was one of the, the...agents who helped catch the guy."  
  
"Impressive. I remember how upset Dorothy was while all that was going on." Ian remarked before going back to eating his dinner.  
  
"Hey you two eat your dinner before it gets cold." Maggie told her two kids who had been listening with rapt attention. "Surely your lives are exciting and interesting enough that a little news about a teacher's husband won't overwhelm you!" She chuckled and both Tim and Bridget went back to eating their dinner.  
  
'It's strange, I only saw Mr. Evans for a few minutes, standing in shadow after I bumped into him that one time, but I can't help being interested every time I hear something new about him.' Tim thought to himself. His mind wasn't able to connect the two images; one of a young Max Evans and the other of an older Mr. Evans...just yet.  
Part 7  
  
Almost a week later, on the next Friday Max and Liz were dressing for the party they were to attend that night.  
  
"Well tonight's the night we've preen practicing so much for." Max grinned at Liz as he expertly knotted his tie. "I get to dance with my lady on a proper dance floor to the music of a live band!"  
  
"I can hardly wait, Max." Liz placed her hand on the arm of his suit coat. "But remember, we have to celebrate Henry's birthday first; eat dinner, mingle and then we can dance."  
  
"Yeah, I'll be good. After his major heart attack last year, Henry has a lot to celebrate. We'll all make sure he has a great time." Max gazed at his lovely wife. "Mm, mm, mmm, that dress looks gorgeous on you, Liz...I'm so glad slip-dresses came back into style. I love being able to...caress your neck, your shoulders and arms..."  
  
"Not at the party you can't!" Liz admonished but her eyes had grown dark with passion. She drew the medium blue silk shawl, which matched her dress up around her shoulders. "Save the caressing for tonight...when we get home...but for now we'd better get going or we'll be late."  
  
As they drove up to the front entry of the country club and handed their car over to the valet, Liz was able to gaze at her husband to her heart's content.   
  
"I didn't get to tell you how incredibly handsome you look in your black, three-piece suit." Liz moved closer and whispered. "Or is it that your magnificent body fills out that suit so well?" She giggled as Max blushed.  
  
"Liz please..." Max whispered back.  
  
"Please what? Please tell me more...please act on these urges I have to rip that suit off of you...right now...right here?" Max was looking wildly around.  
  
"Hey look, is that Dr. Hogan over there and I guess that must be Mrs. Hogan with him?" Max said loudly. "Oh you'll pay for teasing me that way...when we get home." Max promised in a whisper.  
  
"Promises, promise!" Liz whispered back. "Maggie...Dr. Hogan..." She called out.  
  
"Liz, hello!" Maggie stuck her hand out for Liz to take. "And this must be your husband?"  
  
"Yes...Maggie Hogan, my husband Max and you've already met Dr. Hogan right, Max?" Liz asked.  
  
"Yes, briefly at the clinic. Nice to see you again, Dr. Hogan." Max shook his hand as well.  
  
"Please, call me Ian...Max?" Max nodded and smiled.  
  
"Well, let's go in and greet the birthday boy, shall we?" Maggie asked and the four of them walked inside.  
  
"That's a lovely dress you're wearing, Liz." Maggie complimented her. 'I wish I could wear gorgeous creations like that, but I'm not tiny like Liz is.' Maggie bemoaned, silently.  
  
"Thanks! I love how the Spring-green of your dress matches the color of your eyes; they're such a clear green." Liz said in return and Maggie blushed.  
  
"I told her she looked pretty but Maggie wouldn't believe me, her own husband!" Ian teased.  
  
"Oh you! There's Henry, let's go say hello." Maggie said.  
  
"Maggie, Ian, Liz and Max, welcome! Thanks for coming." Henry Smythe called from where he sat in a wing-chair almost holding court.  
  
"It's not often we get invited to a birthday celebration where the guest of honor is paying for everything and we're not even allowed to bring gifts!" Max grinned, shaking the older man's hand.  
  
"Henry just loves getting all this attention, that's his gift!" Joyce teased.  
  
"Why don't I go get us all some drinks?" Ian suggested. "Would you like your usual sherry, Honey?" Maggie nodded. "What about you two; white wine, Scotch?"  
  
"Uh, no thank you, we don't drink. But why don't I go with you and pick up some iced tea or a ginger-ale for Liz and I; no reason you should wait on us." Max said and the two men walked off to the bar.  
  
"I suppose in your line of work you need to stay in control and focused at all times." Ian suggested as they walked up to the bar.  
  
"You might say so." Max replied; he was not about to tell this man beside him that as an alien he was allergic to alcohol.  
  
"Maggie and I don't drink too much; we want to be good role models for our children, but on occasion..."  
  
"I'm sure your children have found great role models in you and your wife." Max assured Ian. "Liz says that they're great kids and so much of that starts at home, doesn't it?" Max smiled.  
  
"Yes, I believe it does." Ian said, relieved. "Do you and Mrs. Evans...Liz have any children?"  
  
"Yes, three." Max grinned, his eyes lighting up as he brought out his wallet. "You asked for it!" He said as he showed Ian a picture of all five of them and pointed out his kids.  
  
"They're great looking kids, you must be very proud." Ian said. "Maggie and I were so lucky with our two; we couldn't have children of our own but we were able to adopt Tim and Bridget and we love them as if they were our own." 'Hmm, I feel as though I could tell Max anything and he'd understand. There's something in the way he really listens when someone speaks.' Ian thought.  
  
"I'm sure that it's your son and daughter who are the lucky ones, to have found parents who love them so much...my sister and I were adopted when we were six."  
  
"That...must have been...rough for you." Ian replied.  
  
"It...was, but we had each other and our parents were...are great." Max said, becoming a little embarrassed. "Well, shall we rejoin the ladies?" He picked up their two drinks and headed back to Liz, Ian following behind.  
  
'Interesting man, Max Evans.' Ian thought to himself as he followed behind the younger man. 'And he does clean up well, even with his hair pulled back into a ponytail. Bridget would be drooling if she could see him in that suit...as are many of the women here at this party. But I can tell that he has eyes only for his lovely wife and hers for him. Liz Evans doesn't notice all the men who are checking her out either.'  
  
While their husbands were getting drinks for them the ladies chatted.  
  
"We've been here ten minutes and all those women are checking out your handsome husband already, how do you stand it, Liz?" Maggie asked.  
  
"I find it funny and...ego building...but if any of those women move in on him, I'll simply have to go and tear their hair out." Liz said with a straight face to Maggie who stood with her mouth agape. "I'm just kidding, Maggie!" Liz giggled. "But I have had to say a few choice words to a couple women who've put their hands on my husband over the years. Mostly the fact that he's oblivious to their advances keeps them from trying anything...physical."  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Hogan." A young voice said nearby.  
  
"Why Kathy dear, I'd forgotten that you work here." Maggie said to Tim's girlfriend who was wearing a waitress's uniform and carrying a try of canapés.  
  
"Yeah for a couple years now, but I had to cut back my hours to study, so now they only schedule me to work special parties like this one; only four or five times a month, but I want to keep my foot in the door. This is a pretty nice place to work."  
  
"Plus Tim works as a caddy here in the summer!" Maggie smiled.  
  
"Yeah, that too. Wow that's a fantastic dress, Mrs. Evans!" Kathy said.  
  
"Thank you, Kathy." Liz replied, smiling at one of her star pupils.  
  
"Ah here come our husbands, looks like they've been getting to know each other a little." Maggie said.  
  
Kathy turned towards the men...nearly dropping her tray when she saw Mr. Evans for the first time. Bridget had been drooling over her teacher's husband ever since she had first met him, but Kathy had never seen him herself.  
  
'Oh my...could any guy look better in a suit than Mr. Evans?...Well, except Tim?' Kathy wondered with huge eyes.  
  
"Here you go Liz." Max handed her an iced-tea glass as he kissed her briefly on the cheek.  
  
"Thanks Max...I'd like you to meet on of my star pupils, Kathy Murphy. Kathy, my husband Max Evans."  
  
"N-nice to m-meet you, Mr. Evans." Kathy managed to balance her tray and stick out her hand to shake his.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Kathy." Max said in his gentle voice. "So are you going to go into Biology or some other science when you attend college?"  
  
"Um yeah...yes. Harvard has a great microbiology program that I've applied for." Kathy answered.  
  
"Yes, I've heard that." Max said, glancing at his wife and drawing her closer with his arms.  
  
"I have no doubts that you'll be accepted, Kathy; your record is excellent." Liz said sincerely and then she looked up at her husband and ran her hand down his cheek. 'It's alright, I'm happy teaching.' Her eyes told him as he kissed her brow.  
  
'Wow!' Was all Kathy could think as she watched the couple. "Um, I'd better circulate with these canapés; would any of you like some?" She offered before getting back to work.   
  
Shortly after that everyone was called to circle the buffet and then sit down to eat. The two couples found a table together.  
  
"So how long have you two been married?" Ian asked. 'They have a nine year old son, but they act like newlyweds.' He thought to himself.  
  
"Seventeen years." Liz smiled happily.  
  
"Seventeen years! Did you meet and marry while you were in college?" Ian asked, amazed.  
  
"Um well no...Liz and I met when we were in third grade and married...right after...High School." Max answered wondering where this conversation was going to take them.  
  
'Boy that raises all sorts of questions, like how or why did you keep from having children for the first seven years of your marriage? But I guess we don't know them well enough yet and this is hardly the place to ask any more personal questions.' Ian thought to himself, seeing that Maggie was thinking the same thing; they changed the subject, chatting comfortably through the rest of the meal.  
  
A few toasts were proposed to the birthday boy, Max and Liz spent a few more minutes chatting with him and then they slipped away into the next room where the live band was playing. Apparently this was a normal dinner-dance night for the club-members because there were quite a few couples out on the dance floor already.  
  
"Oh Max, this is such a beautiful room!" Liz sighed as she danced in his arms but looked around her. "Tudor in style, dark stained oak floors and carved wall panels. Huge leaded glass bay window behind the band and a beamed ceiling...and oh look there's a minstrel's loft up there." Liz motioned up above their heads.  
  
"Too bad we don't play golf." Max teased. He knew that a place like this wasn't really their style, although it was nice to visit.  
  
"Maybe Michael would like to join!" Liz giggled.  
  
"Michael hasn't played golf since that infamous game with Dad, Jesse and Jesse's reporter-friend." Max replied, grinning.  
  
Liz nodded and laid her cheek on Max's shoulder as they slowly circled the room.  
  
A while later Kathy was making the rounds with a tray of small desserts when someone touched her arm.  
  
"I'll take one of those." Kathy barely kept a polite smile on her face, among all of these club members and guests when she saw it was Jon Wozniak who had stopped her.  
  
"What are you dong here, Jon? Your parents aren't members here are they?" Kathy asked. 'Please, please no, they could get me fired.' She thought.  
  
"Nah, but I knew you worked here and I wanted to show you my new tux. I bought it for the Prom." Jon said.  
  
"You...you crashed this party just to show me your tux...and...and you bought it...why?"  
  
"Those rented tuxes never fit right and I wanted to make you proud of me when we enter the Prom together; you on my arm..." Jon answered.  
  
"What?" Kathy screeched and then looked around nervously. "Come out into the hall with me, Jon." Kathy told him.  
  
"Hey, I'll follow you anywhere." Jon said.  
  
"Stop that. We are not going to the Prom. I told you, I am going to the Prom with Tim Hogan." Kathy said emphatically.  
  
"Nah, I know he's only making you say that. You said we could still be friends and so I know you really want to go with me. I came here tonight to find out what color your dress is so I can buy the same color cummerbund and bow-tie."  
  
"You don't need to know what color my dress is going to be because we are not going together." Kathy said, trying to keep her voice low so she wouldn't attract too much attention.  
  
"So you like classic black silk on a man; I got you. I'll stop by the tux place tomorrow and put in my order." Jon said.  
  
"The lady has told you that she is not going to the Prom with you, Wozniak. Get a clue." Tim said behind them. "She's going with me. Stop bugging her and stop following her or we'll go to the Police."  
  
"Kathy now's you chance, I'll protect you from this creep. Tell him the truth; that you don't want to go with him, you want to attend the Prom with me...he can't make you go if we stick together!" Jon said in a melodramatic voice.  
  
'It's, it's like he's playing a part in some tragic movie.' Kathy thought, panicking. 'No matter what we tell him, he won't listen.'  
  
"Miss Murphy, you have already taken your break; you will have to tell our boyfriends to go home." Mr. Jones, the club's manager said. Kathy was never more glad to see her boss as right then.  
  
"Mr. Jones, this boy crashed the party. He doesn't belong here and he won't leave me alone. He has no business here in this private club...and, and Tim is just here to pick me up after my shift ends, but he saw Jon bothering me and came to help."  
  
"Young man, I will not have our members or our employees hassled. You will have to leave these premises or I will call the authorities. And you, Mr. Hogan as I have told you before must wait in our car for Miss Murphy's shift to end."   
  
"But sir, what if Jon tries to hurt Kathy when she leaves, before she can make it to my car?"  
  
"I'm sure you are over dramatizing the issue, Mr. Hogan, but if you are gentleman enough to wish to protect your young lady, then you may stay in the kitchen so long as you do not get in the way."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Tim said and watched, hiding a grin, as Mr. Jones escorted a sputtering Jon Wozniak out the door, lecturing him all the way.  
  
"Hah, Old-Man Jones really came through for us; I can't believe it!" Tim exclaimed.  
  
"Well, he likes me; I'm not so sure about you though. Underneath that stuffed-shirt-personae, he wears is a pretty decent guy. He's been a good boss to me." Kathy said. "Hey Tim before Mr. Jones comes back, guess who else is here." She drew him over to the Tudor ballroom.   
  
"Who?"  
  
"Well I'm sure you know that your parents are here attending a party, but Mr. and Mrs. Evans are here too! See they're over on the far side of the dance floor." Kathy nodded in their direction.  
  
Through the crowd of dancers, Tim saw the couple dancing.  
  
"They're in their own little world; slow-dancing while the band plays a polka!" He chuckled. "I like their style. Would you like to dance, Miss Murphy?"  
  
"Tim..." Kathy hesitated.  
  
"Just for a minute." Tim coaxed.  
  
"Then yes, Mr. Hogan, I would love to dance with you." Katy put one hand in his and her other around his lean waist.  
  
Tim drew the hand he was holding in, until they rested on his chest as they swayed slowly to their own romantic melody. Their eyes were locked on each other's and they didn't see another couple watching them.  
  
"There's Kathy and I think she's dancing with Tim Hogan out in the hall." Liz giggled as she tried to keep sight of the young couple through the mass of dancers.  
  
Max saw the girl he had just been introduced to and the dark haired young man, dancing in each other's arms.  
  
"Hmmm, they remind me of us...seventeen years ago." He said.  
  
"Yeah and you should see them in Biology class...just like us!" Liz giggled.  
  
"They're going. I guess they don't want to get in trouble from the management." Max said as the younger couple moved off in the direction of the kitchen. "Come here, Mrs. Evans; enough of your paying attention to anyone but me!"   
  
"Not a difficult thing for me to do." Liz grinned before snuggling back into Max's arms.  
Part 8  
  
As Tim and Kathy walked down the hall towards their third period class, Tim was on the look-out for Jon Wozniak. After the little jerk had dared to walk into the country club where Kathy worked, last Friday, to continue his fantasy in which she was going to the Prom with him, Tim was just looking for an excuse to pound Wozniak into the ground. He knew that his gentle-minded Kathy didn't want either of them fighting over her, but Kathy's idea of gently trying to reason with the guy was just not working. Neither were his stronger, not-so-gentle words. That kid was just in his own fantasy world, in which reality...and anything Jon didn't want to hear...didn't exist. But this was Tuesday and the Prom was on Friday and neither Tim nor Kathy had seen hide nor hair of Jonathan Wozniak.  
  
"Why won't you let me see your Prom dress?" Tim asked Kathy, playfully.  
  
"Because I want it to be a surprise!" Kathy replied, giggling.  
  
"But don't you want my cummerbund and bow-tie to match your dress?" Tim asked.  
  
"No, not really; with your dark good looks, you'll look great in your classic black tux." Kathy answered.  
  
"Uh thanks." Tim said, grinning. "You know though a prom dress is not like a wedding dress; it's not bad luck for your escort to see it before the dance!"  
  
"Both my Prom dress and my wedding dress are going to be surprises for you, Timothy Hogan!" Kathy promised him.  
  
"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" Tim teased, knowing that she had every right to be; if he had his way, they would be married sometime soon after they graduated from college.  
  
"Just as sure as you are of me!" Kathy said, inching closer to him but not quite touching him.  
  
"I'm glad that you're confident of my love for you, Sweetheart." Tim whispered into her ear. "'Cause I am...head-over-heals...in love with you!"  
  
"Kathy darling, you'd better step back while I teach this villain a lesson on how to treat a lady!" A hand pulled a startled Kathy away from an equally startled Tim. They had been in their own little world for a moment.  
  
"Tim!" Kathy cried out as Jon Wozniak's fist flew at Tim's face.  
  
But Tim easily dodged the blow and the next thing anyone knew; he had Wozniak up against some lockers.  
  
"That's it Wozniak, I've had it with your insane fantasy-life. Kathy has told you twice that she is not going to the Prom with you. I have told you that she is not going to the Prom with you, but you just don't get it! Well what you will get is a restraining-order to keep away from Kathy; we're going to the Police tonight to get one. As much as I'm dying to pound you into the ground, I'd love to see you behind bars even more!"  
  
"Kathy darling, why aren't you saying anything? Why don't you tell this clown to let go of me?" Jon asked, as a crowd started to gather, his three friends not among them.   
  
"Let him down Tim...so I can tell him One more Time to Leave Me Alone! Jonathan, Leave Me Alone! I'm Not going Anywhere with you!" Kathy lost her control and yelled.  
  
"What's going on here?" Vice Principal Black pushed through the crowd. "Alright people, get to your classes now." He ordered. "Miss Murphy, Mr. Hogan...and...Mr. Wozniak. What is all the commotion here; I could hear you all the way down the hall."  
  
"Well then sir, you should have heard me tell Jonathan to leave me alone. He has this insane idea that I'm going to the Prom with him, which I am NOT!" Kathy said.  
  
"Mr. Wozniak, what do you have to say for yourself?" Mr. Black asked.  
  
"Nothing sir; there's nothing wrong here." Jon was neatening up his clothes and burying his anger. "I don't know why Kathy was becoming so hysterical...maybe it's that time of the month. You know how women get sometimes." Tim squeezed Kathy's hand to keep her from screaming.  
  
"The truth of the matter, Mr. Black is that Jon has been stalking and sexually harassing Kathy for weeks now and I'm not the only witness. Her mother and her boss can back us up." Tim said through clenched teeth. "I just warned him that we are going to the Police tonight to lodge a complaint against him."  
  
"Well in light of what you've just told me and what I did hear coming down the hall...Mr. Wozniak, come with me to my office. We'll see what your parents have to say about this." Mr. Black motioned Jon to walk in front of him.  
  
"Do you need us to come with you, sir?" Kathy asked anxiously.  
  
"No, Miss Murphy; you'd both better get to class. I'll call for you if I have any further questions, which I may. Oh, I'd better give you a pass to get you into class." Mr. Black reached into an inside pocket of his suit coat, pulled out a pad and scrawled something on it before handing it to Kathy."  
  
"Uh, we're going to the same class." Tim said before the Vice Principal had to write up a second pass.  
  
"Thanks. Get to class now you two." Mr. Black said before he herded Jonathan Wozniak down the hall.  
  
"Oh AARRGH!" Kathy cried out, fists raised, releasing some tension before she threw herself into Tim's arms and buried her face in his chest for a moment.  
  
"It'll be okay, Sweetie." Tim said putting his arms around her. "Mr. Black will talk to Jon's parents and we'll go by the Police station tonight just to be on the safe side."  
  
"Okay." She sighed. "We'd better get to class..."   
  
The young couple walked down the hall arm in arm to their classroom.  
  
~*~  
  
Jonathan Wozniak suffered through the parental conference with the Vice Principal in silent, simmering anger.  
  
'How dare that muscle-bound jock tell me what I can and can't do? How dare he try to keep me away from Kathy and make her act as though she hates me?' Jon thought to himself. 'Even the Police can't keep me and Kathy apart, I'll show them!'  
  
~*~  
  
After school, Tim and Kathy did indeed go to the Police and register a complaint against Jon. But they were told that the Police could not do anything without further proof or physical evidence. They were told about the procedure for getting a restraining-order, but that could take several days so finally Tim and Kathy left the station, almost more frustrated than before they entered the building and drove home.  
  
"We need to tell our parents what's going on." Tim said. "And you're not going anywhere alone. Do you have to work at the country-club in the near future?"  
  
"No, thank goodness." Kathy said as they drove up to her house and walked inside.  
  
They told Kathy's mother what was going on and Tim called his mom to do the same. Then they settled down in the family room and in each other's arms and tried to study until dinner. Tim ate dinner with Kathy and her parents, filling them in some more about Jon Wozniak and then the two young lovers went back to their studying, again in each other's arms. At ten o'clock, Tim kissed Kathy goodnight, telling her not to get up from her seat in the family room and then walked out to his car to drive home.  
  
Just before he reached his SUV, Tim was hit from behind, his hand went limp and he dropped his car key and remote. He had an instant to see Jon Wozniak holding a baseball bat and his three buddies who must have snuck up on him...before his knees gave out and he slumped to the ground. He was only dazed but it allowed the four boys to half-carry him to their car, shove him inside, get in themselves and drive away.  
  
Tim sat in the back seat, between two of the boys, who each had hold of one of his arms. He knew it wasn't worth trying to escape right then; he could not fight all four of them, but Tim kept watch out the windows, trying to see where they were taking him. If they left him alone for just a minute once they arrived at their destination, he would call for help on his cellular-phone.  
  
Perhaps twenty minutes later the car slowed and turned into the driveway of what looked to be an abandoned building. Jonathan had been doing the driving and had taken a circuitous route to get there, but Tim had still been able to see the street signs they passed and now could see the building's street address. The boy in the passenger seat got out and went to open a door big enough to drive a truck...or a car through. Once inside he closed and locked the doors behind them. Tim was dragged from the car and shoved to his knees in front of Jonathan while two hands remained on his shoulders to keep him there. He didn't fight them, wanting to conserve his strength until he knew what exactly was going on.  
  
"So okay you got me here Jonathan, what now?" Tim asked, trying not to show that he probably knew what their plan was for him...and that he was afraid.  
  
"Now...you stay here and I'll...go and comfort Kathy...Once you and your influence over her disappears from her life, she'll be able to decide who she really wants and I plan to make sure that she wants me...I'll be sure to slip you a picture of the two of us at the Prom!"  
  
"Jonathan, you've got me, don't hurt Kathy...please leave her alone!" Tim exclaimed, losing some control and struggling for a moment.  
  
"But I don't care about you Hogan; all I care about is Kathy." Jon said in a reasonable voice.  
  
"Well if you do really care about her, let Kathy be the one to decide who she wants and who she doesn't." Tim said between clenched teeth.  
  
"I know what's best for her; she'll learn to defer to my judgment." Jon said losing interest in this discussion. "Time to get this show on the road; Jim, go drive Tim's car back to his house, so everything looks normal. Tim, give me your keys." Jon commanded.  
  
"I dropped them when you hit me over the head." Tim said, hoping they wouldn't search him for them and find his cell-phone.  
  
"Okay..." Jon said cautiously. "Go find the keys and move the car, Jim. Tim, it's time to show you your future accommodations, come on guys." Jon motioned to the other two boys who dragged Tim to his feet and shoved him, struggling in the direction of what looked to be a storage room. One final push sent Tim tripping into the middle of the small room and before he could turn around to fight, the door was slammed shut behind him.  
  
"Bye Tim." Jon called as he locked the door.  
  
Tim heard what sounded like a padlock being closed and threw his shoulder hard against the door, but it held fast. He looked around the small room; it was perhaps eight by twelve feet in size and empty. There were no windows, only the one door and a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, perhaps twelve feet above.  
  
'Time to call for help.' Tim thought, bringing out his cell-phone and dialing 9-1-1 for the Police.   
  
"I need the Police please...Police? My name is Tim Hogan. I've been kidnapped but I know the street address of where I'm being held. It's two, two..."  
  
The phone was knocked out of his hand and smashed under someone's foot. Jon and the other two boys stood nearby; he had been listening at the door and heard Tim call for help.   
  
'Why didn't I think to check Hogan for a cell?' Jon berated himself. 'If it had taken me any longer to unlock that door, Tim would have finished telling the cops where he was.'  
  
"I told you two that Tim was tricky." Jon said to cover his own panic. "You know Hogan, you're really dumb; you can't tell when your girlfriend wants to be with someone else, you tried to keep us apart by going to the Police and then you tried to trick me..."  
  
His friends winced; they had heard that tone in Jon's voice before. It was always there before he threw a temper-tantrum and they knew that Jonathan could become violent when he was that angry. Better that Hogan take the brunt of that anger than them, they thought.  
  
"Hold him down!" Jon said suddenly to the others and they grabbed Tim by the arms and shoved him onto his back on the floor.  
  
Going down though, Tim's head hit the concrete a little too hard. He opened his eyes a little as his vision started going gray and saw Jonathan's fist coming towards his face, but he never felt the impact as he lost consciousness. He didn't feel the half-dozen punches or the couple of kicks connect either.  
  
~*~  
  
Shortly after Tim left, Kathy was walking by the front window in her living room and glanced out to see Tim's SUV still parked out front.  
  
'Why is Tim's car still out there? I don't see him inside it.' Kathy wondered.   
  
She opened the front door and stepped out onto the front porch to look around...No Tim. She walked out to his car but found no trace of him, except for his keys, on the ground out in the street. She picked them up, checked to see that his car was locked and walked back inside, puzzled.  
  
'If he'd had car trouble he would have come back in to wait until help arrived, even if he'd used his cell-phone.' Kathy thought to herself as she picked up her own cell and punched her speed-dial. 'Customer you are trying to reach is unavailable.' Kathy read on the small screen of her cell-phone. 'I'll try calling him at his home.' She thought as she dialed again.  
  
"Hi, Mr. Hogan, is Tim home yet? He isn't? Has he contacted you? No? Um, Mr. Hogan, I'm getting worried. He left me at my house twenty minutes ago, but his car is still parked out front and I found his keys out in the middle of the street. I tried to call him but his cell-phone is unavailable and you haven't heard from him either." Kathy stopped for breath. "Has Mrs. Hogan told you that Tim and I went to the Police this afternoon?"  
  
"Yes, she did Kathy and this has me worried. Wait a minute I have another call coming in and...it's from the Police. Let me put you on hold a minute." Mr. Hogan said before clicking off.  
  
"Ohh..." Kathy groaned. "The Police! Could Tim have been hurt?" She wondered aloud.  
  
"I'm back." Mr. Hogan said a moment later. "Kathy the Police told me that they just received a call from a Tim Hogan saying that he's been kidnapped and he started to give a street address when he was cut off. The address started with two, two."  
  
"Oh my...Mr. Hogan, Jon Wozniak's street address starts with two, two!" Kathy cried.  
  
"Wait let me tell the Police that, they've been on hold." Mr. Hogan clicked off again.  
  
Just then, outside Kathy's house the burglar alarm on Tim's SUV went off. Kathy ran to the front window and saw a shadowy figure running away.  
  
"I'm back; I told the Police what you told me..."  
  
"Mr. Hogan, can you tell them that someone just tried to break into Tim's SUV? He has a burglar alarm that goes off if you try to get in using anything but the remote control key. I saw someone running away but he was in shadow and I couldn't see any more than that."  
  
"They're sending a squad car over. I'll ask them to send one to your house too. They knew to call us after Tim's call for help, because of the complaint you filed this afternoon and they are trying to get a warrant to search the Wozniak house right now." Mr. Hogan told Kathy, who had finally been able to make the car alarm shut off using Tim's remote key.  
  
"Great, thank you, but I bet Jon's not dumb enough to hold Tim at his own house." Kathy said sadly.  
  
"Well they'll question him too and probably get him to talk." Mr. Hogan reassured her. "Here's the patrol car now; I'd better go Kathy, but I'll try to call you later." Mr. Hogan said.  
  
"Okay, thanks, Mr. Hogan." Kathy said before disconnecting.   
  
'Jonathan isn't going to talk.' She thought with certainty.  
Part 9  
  
By the next morning, the Hogans had still heard nothing useful from the Police. Mrs. Hogan and Mrs. Murphy both insisted on driving their daughters to school and assured the frightened girls that they would pick them up afterwards, as well. As they drove up to the front of the school one after another both ladies got out of their cars to watch their respective daughters meet and walk into the school together.  
  
"Any news, Maggie?" Mrs. Murphy asked her friend.  
  
"No not really, Louise. I guess the Police got a search warrant last night and thoroughly searched the Wozniak home, but of course they didn't find anything there. They questioned Jon Wozniak for a couple hours but he stuck to his story and so did his three friends; they were at the boy, Jim's house all afternoon and evening and his parents are out of town. From what the Police told us, Jon's pals aren't too bright, but they are loyal. They...they'll keep looking but now... they don't have anywhere...in particular to look..." Maggie started to cry and Louise gathered her into her arms, not knowing what else to do or say.  
  
"We've told the Principal and the teachers what's going on and they will all keep an eye on Bridget and Kathy while they're at school." Maggie calmed down enough to assure Louise Murphy, who nodded and after a few more moments, both women got into their cars and drove home.  
  
As soon as Kathy and Bridget entered the school they were surrounded by their friends who had heard the news through the school's grape-vine already. The two of them, they were told, were not to go anywhere without at least two of their friends with them. Feeling a little bit reassured, Bridget and Kathy separated to go to their homerooms.  
  
Liz heard the news at the teacher's morning staff meeting and was horrified. That a strong, bright teenage boy could be snatched off the street in front of his girlfriend's house really shocked her and she called Max with the news as soon as the meeting ended. She wanted everyone in their group to be on the defensive for their own children as well as on the look-out for Tim Hogan. Liz felt one bit of relief in this situation; since Tim was one of her favorite students, she could count on receiving a premonition about him, but her future-flashes usually warned of death...and she hadn't received one in months. Wherever he was, Tim Hogan was at least alive...for now.  
  
~*~  
  
Wednesday crawled by as did Thursday without any news. The Police assured them that they were following any leads that came in and doing their best to find her son, but Maggie Hogan was a nervous wreck. She had taken the last two days off from teaching class and had sat at home waiting for a phone call. Shouldn't someone have called with a ransom demand, she wondered?  
  
Kathy could not bare the idea of going home after school, Thursday afternoon so she asked her mother if she could take her by the Hogan's house. She would sit with Mrs. Hogan and Bridget and maybe they could comfort each other.  
  
"Hi Kathy." A dispirited Bridget answered the door. "Did you...want to talk to Mom?" Kathy just shrugged helplessly.  
  
"I...I just felt as though I needed to be here..." She said, trying to keep her tears back.  
  
"Yeah..." Bridget said understanding. "Maybe if you went up and sat in his room you'd...feel a little better...?"  
  
"Yeah..." Kathy murmured as she quickly hugged Tim's sister and then walked up the stairs to his room.  
  
As Kathy stood just inside the door to Tim's room, she took a deep breath, taking in his scent; his shampoo, after-shave and that pleasant, indefinable smell that was just "Tim". Plopping down on the forest-green comforter on his bed Kathy let the tears flow out. She wished all the tension and anxiety she was feeling could flow out with them instead of just sitting there like a lump lodged in her chest, but they didn't. After a few minutes the tears dwindled down to sniffles and she did admit to herself that she felt a little bit better as she looked around the room she had spent many happy hours in.  
  
Getting up from the bed, she walked over to Tim's desk to look at all the books he had crammed on the hutch shelves above it. Books they had enjoyed reading together, had discussed or argued over; J.D. Robb, Lawrence Block, Diana Gabaldon, Peter David. Kathy pulled out his copy of Anne McCaffrey's "Skies of Pern and flipped through the well worn pages. She stopped when she noticed Tim's handwriting in the margins and giggled at some of his notes, remembering the conversations they'd had while reading that favorite author. Kathy put the book away and wandered around the room, lightly touching the mementos displayed on Tim's desk, dresser or night stand and gazing at the photos he had stuck here and there, framed and unframed, of his family or the two of them together. Finally though Kathy left Tim's room and went downstairs to sit with Bridget and Mrs. Hogan.  
  
"May I pour you another cup of tea, Mrs. Hogan?" Kathy asked Tim's mother a short time later.  
  
"What?" Maggie started, looking up at the girl. "Oh uh no, no thank you dear. It was so nice of you to come over here after school to sit with us, Kathy."  
  
"I couldn't just sit at home; being here...feels like I'm closer to him somehow." Kathy murmured.  
  
"Well we can all just sit here hating the feeling of being useless." Maggie said with mirthless humor.  
  
"The Police are doing everything they can..." Kathy said as she turned to gaze at the pictures of Tim and Bridget, which lined the mantel. They were lined up with Tim's pictures on the left, running youngest to oldest, left to right and Bridget's on the right in opposite order.  
  
"Yes of course, but I just wish there were more we could do...and I think maybe there is..." Maggie said suddenly as she reached for the cordless phone laying on the coffee-table.  
  
~*~  
  
Liz was at home after school trying to work at her desk. She had a pile of tests from three different classes to grade. She finished grading one test paper and turned to the next...Tim Hogan's paper. Liz just starred at it for a few moments before picking it up...The premonition came as suddenly as they always had.  
  
Two boys were holding Tim to the floor while a third, smaller boy punched him repeatedly. When the attacker stopped and the boys moved away, grinning, Tim did not move at all. Liz could see the three kids becoming frightened as the leader leaned over and shook Tim by the shoulder and slapped his face a couple times. The boys backed off from the body slowly at first and then there was a mad dash to the door. Oddly enough, the three stopped in their flight to lock the door to Tim's cell before running for their car and driving with tire-squealing urgency out of the obviously abandoned building. Liz got one more glimpse of Tim, who was starting to move a little before her vision ended.  
  
"Liz, honey, what is it?" Max asked, concerned as he leaned over her and grasped her shoulders gently. "I know that look; you've had a premonition...About Tim Hogan?" Liz could only nod her head for a moment as she concentrated on trying to understand as much of her vision as possible.  
  
"It was Jonathan Wozniak and at least two of his three friends, who abducted Tim." Liz confirmed. "I think Jon was beating up on Tim and somehow he lost consciousness; the boys became frightened that they'd killed him and ran away...but not before they locked him in that small room he's in...Idiots; none of them even checked for a pulse!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Oh man!" Max exclaimed angrily. "Can you tell when this happened? Is Tim still alive?"  
  
"I think this happened on Tuesday, right after they took him. They may have been punishing him for trying to make that call for help. My visions usually come in time so we have a chance to change what will happen for the better. Tim was moving just a little at the end of the vision, so I'm pretty sure that he's still alive. I'm worried about how badly he was injured and how long he can survive without food and water...especially water. This is Thursday; Jon and his creeps haven't broken yet and told the Police anything so unless we can find him..." Liz broke off not wanting to finish that sentence.  
  
"I'll call Isabel; she'll need to try and dream-walk him. From what the Police said, it sounded as though Tim knows where he's being held." But before he could make the call, the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" Max asked. "Maggie, this is Max; have you heard any news? No, huh? Of course Liz and I could come over to your house; we were both just saying that we wish we could help...Of course I'll put all my...resources to work. Let us come over and speak to you and perhaps get a picture of Tim." Max said looking intently up at Liz. "Okay, see you in a few minutes." Max hung up the phone. "I think Maggie's about to loose it...with no contact from the kidnappers, no ransom demand; she has nothing to hold onto."   
  
"Come on, let's go; we can drop the kids off at Connie's house on the way. I'll call her as we go." Liz said as they called the kids to get into the car and left.  
  
Max drove them first to Kyle and Connie's house, Liz having called Connie to give her a few minute's warning that they were coming, and then she called Isabel and asked her to meet them back at their house in a half-hour. When they pulled up in front of the Hogan's they saw Maggie, Bridget and Kathy out on the front porch, waiting for them. They walked up the steps and Liz hugged all three women.  
  
"Let's go inside and you can tell me everything that the Police have told you; who the detective is in charge of your case..." Max said and they walked into the living room.   
  
While Max listened to Maggie, Bridget curled up on the sofa and Kathy brought Liz a picture of Tim.  
  
"This was taken for his senior picture in the yearbook." Kathy told her teacher.  
  
"Thanks Kathy...How're you holding up?" Liz asked, reaching out to rub her arm comfortingly.  
  
"I'm swinging between terrified that I'll never see Tim again...alive...and furious at Jon Wozniak!" Kathy exclaimed. "I know he had something to do with this, but the Police haven't been able to make him or his friends talk about it."  
  
"Has Jon tried to say anything to you, Kathy?" Liz asked.  
  
"Well, on Wednesday any time I saw him in the halls, he'd turn and go the other way; he and his buddies were really acting nervous...but today...he was back to his stupid, arrogant self. He found a moment when I was alone and tried to act all concerned and helpful, but he had a smirk on his face and he told me...he told me that he would...pick me up at six o'clock tomorrow to go to dinner before the...gosh darn Prom. As if I want to even Think about that Stupid dance!" Kathy ended on a cry and Liz gathered her close as tears came streaming down her face.  
  
"Kathy, that's why Max and I are here; to find out everything we can so we can have the best chance of finding Tim. Max is very good at his job and I'll certainly help him all I can."  
  
"Th-thanks, Mrs. Evans." Kathy gave Liz a watery smile. Liz saw the children's photos arranged on the mantle and drew Kathy over to them.  
  
"So which of these pictures of Tim do you like best?" Liz tried to distract the younger woman for a few moments.  
  
"I don't know, it's a toss-up between his baby-picture." Kathy pointed to the photo furthest to the left. "And this year's picture. Boy he's so cute isn't he?" She sighed for a moment. "I'll tell you the one I dislike the most is this picture from two years ago. I hated his having such short hair, some of it sticking up in the air. I like running my hands through his hair but there was hardly anything left and it was stiff with styling-goo!"  
  
"I know what you mean. Max once cut his hair really short too and I hated it for the same reasons!" The two women shared a giggle. "Interesting to see how Tim's hair got darker as he grew up. He was such a little blond cutie when he was a baby!" Liz leaned in to look more closely at the baby picture.  
  
"Yeah that was the first picture the Hogans ever took of him, right after they adopted him." Kathy said but Liz was concentrating on the baby-rattle little Tim was holding. A rattle shaped like a spaceship.  
  
"Mrs. Evans!" Kathy cried out as her teacher went pale all of a sudden and grasped the mantle to steady herself.  
  
"Liz?" Max had just finished speaking to Maggie when he heard Kathy call out Liz's name and turned to see what was wrong. When he saw how pale Liz was, he rushed over to her. "Liz, what's wrong, Sweetheart?" He drew her into his arms, but Liz kept looking at the picture on the mantle.  
  
"Max...look!" She said and Max...looked and recognized...his infant son, Zan.  
  
"Oh man, I don't believe it! After all this time..." Max exclaimed and then became deadly serious. "Come on we've gotta go...Za-Tim needs us!"  
  
"Don't worry, Maggie, we'll call you as soon as we find out anything." Liz called out as she and Max abruptly ran out of the house.  
  
"What in the world?" Maggie asked as she watched the Evans rush out of her house. She heard Max tell Liz to "call the others..."  
  
"Mrs. Evans was looking at Tim's baby picture when she became really pale and then Mr. Evans came and looked at the picture too and...well you saw them leave..." Kathy said, wondering. "Mr. and Mrs. Evans are...too young...to be...Tim's birth-parents...aren't they?" She asked Tim's adoptive mother.  
  
"Probably, but what a reaction to have to a baby-picture! You know, Tim's adoption was kind of strange. With Bridget we got her as a new infant and we had to send pictures of her to her birth-mother for five years...That's the way most adoptions have worked for years, the birth-mother has five years to change her mind and we knew something about her...But with Tim, he was almost one year old when we got him and we never knew anything at all about his birth-parents. He wasn't abandoned or anything; he was put up for adoption, but with the stipulation that we could be told nothing about the parents..."   
  
~*~  
  
Out in the car, Max and Liz looked at each other in shock.  
  
"That was a picture of Zan! I'd recognize him anywhere and I bought him that rattle the day before...I had to...give him up!" Max exclaimed and Liz nodded.  
  
"I received a flash when I touched the photo. Tim must have looked at and touched that picture many times. Max the flash I received was of you looking down at him...as you held him in your arms." Max closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to focus his thoughts.  
  
"Zan is Tim...and Tim is in trouble. Call the others Liz!" Max repeated as he started the engine and their tires squealed as they peeled away from the curb.  
  
By the cars parked out front of their house, Max and Liz could tell that almost the entire gang had already arrived as they drove into their driveway. Michael and Maria pulled up right behind them and the two couples entered the house together.  
  
"What's going on, Max?" Kyle asked. "After your urgent call everyone dropped off their kids at our place for Connie to watch and then came over here as quickly as possible." Max got right down to business.  
  
"We told you that one of Liz's students has been abducted...well today Liz received a premonition that he will die if we don't find him soon and...just now we found out that the boy, Tim Hogan is in fact...Zan."  
  
Their five friends remained in stunned silence for a few moments.  
  
"Zan? Your Zan? Oh Max!" Maria exclaimed.  
  
"How'd you find out?" Jesse asked and Max shook his head impatiently.  
  
"We saw a baby picture of him and Liz received a flash from it, plus I recognized him from the picture...the point is we have to find him!" Max exclaimed and everyone got serious. Long practice helped them brush their shocked reactions aside so they could get down to business.  
  
"Well the first thing to do is for me to try and dream-walk him." Isabel said. "Did you get a picture of him?"  
  
"Right here." Liz handed it to her and Isabel studied it.  
  
"At least he didn't get your ears, Max!" Isabel tried to east the tension.  
  
"I knew that when he was eight month's old." Max said. "Please, can you just dream-walk him already?"   
  
Isabel sobered and went to sit on the couch next to Jesse, who put his arm around her shoulders and cuddled her close. Max sat down in a comfortable chair and drew Liz down onto his lap and into his arms, tucking her in, under his chin. Everyone else found seats and got comfortable as well. Luckily over the years and through the war Isabel had become very good at dream-walking people; she could do it almost at the drop of a hat.  
  
As Isabel was trying to dream-walk Tim, Max and Liz spoke quietly to each other.  
  
"Max after we...find Tim...what...how much are you going to tell him about yourself...about...Tess...?" Liz asked, concerned.  
  
"I don't know...should I even tell him who I really am, Liz? Would it be better for him if I stay out of his life; just remain his teacher's husband and the man his parents hired to find him?" Max wondered out loud.  
  
"Maybe you just need to see how he reacts to meeting you...I don't suppose he'd recognize you as his...birth-father...remember that one precious week you had with him when he was a baby." Liz suggested.  
  
"But if he should ever ask...what do I tell him about his...about Tess?" Max asked.  
  
"Unless you plan to let him in on your secret...?" Liz started to say.  
  
"No, never; he's safer if he never finds out about that part of who I am." Max said emphatically.  
  
"Well then there's your answer, Max. All that's left to tell him is that she's dead." Liz said.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I can fraise it in such a way to let him think she died of cancer or something; that's better than telling him the truth; that his mother was a mind-warping, alien Ho!" Max exclaimed and then turned to face Liz. "You are my strength right now, Liz. I know how much this must be hurting you...bringing back all those awful memories..." Max reached out his hand and stroked her soft cheek.  
  
"Your son was an innocent through all of that stuff with...Tess. As long as she stays dead; isn't re-cloned or something...everything will be fine. We'll work through all this...together." Liz turned her head and kissed his palm while keeping her gaze locked with his.  
  
Meanwhile, Isabel had touched the picture of Tim Hogan; her nephew Zan and then closed her eyes...and she was in. Everything around her was shifting and warped and she worried that Tim had been drugged or had a concussion of some sort. She was in Tim's cell and she saw him unsteadily walking around the room, holding onto the wall to steady himself as with some determination he explored it, testing the concrete block to see if any of it could be loosened ...Then his dream image shifted and Isabel saw Tim throwing himself against the door, trying to break it down...to no avail as his last attempt failed and he rebounded backwards and fell to the floor. He looked beaten, tired and weak to Isabel as he tried to sit up but ultimately dropped back down to the floor unconscious.   
  
The dream image shifted again, it seemed, backwards in time and Isabel saw Tim and four boys standing inside the large warehouse, outside that small room and Tim was being shoved to his knees. She saw the car they must have driven in nearby and walked around it, concentrating on remembering its make, model and license plate number. One more time the image changed and Isabel was outside the warehouse and she watched as that car, filled with five boys, drove up to the garage-type door. She looked up and saw the street address painted on the side of the building and then looked around until she found the street's name.  
  
Isabel once more took herself back to the unconscious form of her nephew, in that little room. She was moved with pity and walked over to where he lay on his back, his arms out flung, his head turned to the side and she stroked his beard-stubbled cheek and dry, chapped lips before placing a firm, comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Help's on the way Tim; just hold on a little longer, okay?" Isabel told her nephew before taking her dream-self back to her body. She opened her eyes and saw everyone else's eyes on her. "I've found him!" She said.  
Part 10 The Rescue!  
Isabel opened up her eyes from her dream-walk of Tim Hogan and smiled at her friends and family who were all sitting around, watching her.  
  
"I've found him!" She said.  
  
"Where?" Max asked, urgently as he and Michael opened up a map of the city.  
  
"He's at 22360 Baker Street, in an abandoned warehouse. Nearest cross street was Croissant Road."  
  
"Got it!" Michael pointed out the spot on the map.  
  
"Let's go!" Max said folding the map.  
  
"We'll call the Police and his family once we've found him." Jesse said on his way to the door.  
  
"I have a couple bottles of water and a box of breakfast bars for him to drink and eat." Maria said.  
  
"I have my video camera." Liz said.  
  
"Hey aren't we forgetting something?" Kyle asked and everyone stopped to look back at him.  
  
"How are we going to nail that twerp Wozniak's butt to the wall if we can't connect him to Zan's abduction?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Zan...Tim will be able to identify who took him." Maria said.  
  
"It'll be his word against the four of them." Jesse countered and Michael nodded in agreement.  
  
"They may have left fingerprints..." Isabel suggested.  
  
"I have a plan." Max said with determination in his expression. "But we'll need the Police present to pull it off so let's go." Everyone rushed out the door behind him and they piled into just two of their cars.  
  
"Like old times!" Kyle grinned at Maria. "The bunch of us cramming ourselves into Max's jeep and your Jetta and driving off into the sunset!" Maria giggled.  
  
When the two cars pulled up in front of the warehouse, everyone but the drivers got out.  
  
"We'll park these a block or two away and be right back." Jesse said and Kyle nodded before they drove off down the street.  
  
"Everyone put your gloves on but try not to touch anything. We don't want to mess up any evidence they may have left." Max said.  
  
"Start running your video Liz, but don't catch us "doing anything" on it okay?" Michael instructed and Liz nodded understanding that she was not to film them using their powers.  
  
Jesse and Kyle came running up and they all made their way to the garage door.  
  
"They must have left the door open when they ran away." Liz said remembering her vision and capturing the exterior of the warehouse on tape.  
  
They all walked through the open door and spread out, using their flashlights. Liz caught each person on video as he or she reported that a room or a section of the warehouse was empty. Finally they came to the room with the padlock on the door, which Isabel had gone directly to. Liz nodded to her sister-in-law that this was the room she had seen in her vision as well.  
  
"The rest of this warehouse is empty but our sources assure us that this is where Tim Hogan is being held." Max reported into the video camera. "The padlock is closed but to get to the young man we will now open it using great care not to smudge any fingerprints."  
  
Liz zoomed the camera in on Michael as he made a show of carefully picking the lock. He shifted his stance, blocking Liz and the video camera from seeing him wave his glowing hand over the lock to open it and then shifted back.  
  
"Opened in...sixteen seconds!" Michael said looking at his watch.  
  
Max opened the door and everyone could see the lone figure lying on the concrete floor. Liz zoomed in on his face and then around the room he had been held in.   
  
"According to the pictures we have seen, this poor kid is Tim Hogan." Max said seriously to the video camera and then nodded to Liz who turned the instrument off and placed it on the floor. As soon as the video had been turned off, all pretense of professionalism vanished from Max as he rushed over to his son.  
  
"Tim! Oh my God!" Max's eyes teared up as he saw the bruising on the young man's face. He dropped to his knees and started to pass his hands over the inert body.  
  
"Max..." Michael warned.  
  
"I'm just checking for internal injuries or broken bones; don't worry, I won't leave behind any silver handprints unless I have to." Max said not taking his eyes off of what he was doing. "Done; just a lot of bruising over his face and body, a bruised rib and a light concussion." Max said sitting back on his haunches. "His biggest problem is dehydration. Let me have a bottle of water and let's cover him with that blanket. Call the Police and his family." Max looked up at the others for a moment before returning his gaze to his first-born son and gently slid an arm under Tim's shoulders to lift him up to lean against his own chest. "He's cold."  
  
"Here's the blanket." Liz said softly as she spread their Army-blanket over Tim and tried to tuck it in under his legs.  
  
"You're safe now...my son. We've found you, Zan and you're going to be okay...Oh thank you Dear Lord for helping me find him in time; I love him so much!" Max rocked a little as he held Tim gently in his arms. "You're safe now son, I've got you, everything's going to be okay." Max kept murmuring.  
  
Tim slowly came back to consciousness aware of his aching body, empty stomach and very dry throat. His tongue was so dry that it stuck to the roof of his mouth. But he also felt the welcome warmth of a blanket being tucked in around him and the strength of a man's arms holding him secure and safe.  
  
"You're safe now son, I've got you, everything's going to be okay." A gentle male voice said in his ear and then he heard or remembered that same voice saying something else...'I love you so much, my son; I always will, but it isn't safe for you here. Remember this moment...you being held in my arms...and how much I love you. Grow tall, strong and wise...'   
  
"Father." Tim murmured; his eyes still shut as he let himself believe for a moment that he was no longer an almost eighteen year old, young man but instead, a little boy, being held safe and warm in his father's arms. But then he opened his eyes and looked up into those of Max Evans...except he wasn't totally awake and his perspective kept changing; one moment he was seeing a teenage Max Evans and the next he was seeing the grown Mr. Evans.  
  
"You're alright now Tim, you're safe." Max said as he saw his son's eyes open. His own were a little blurry from the tears of hearing Tim call out "Father." But Max knew that Tim didn't mean him, Max Evans when he said it. "The Police and your family are on the way." Max assured him, trying to switch from being the anxious father to a calm professional. "Can you tell me how you're feeling? Does anything hurt?"  
  
"I feel like I'm one big bruise, I'm a little bit dizzy and...I'm very, very thirsty." Tim murmured weakly.  
  
"Here you go." Liz said, handing Max an opened bottle of water.  
  
"Here, try to drink some of this...slowly...I don't want you to choke now that we've found you!" Max teased gently as he held the bottle to Tim's lips.  
  
"Thanks...Mr. Evans? Mrs. Evans?" Tim came totally awake. "What are you doing here? How'd you find me? Jonathan Wozniak..." Tim asked, confused and Max broke into his list of questions.  
  
"We know all about Jonathan Wozniak and I have a plan to catch him once the Police get here." Max assured him. "As to how we found you..." Max looked up at the group around him and grinned before glancing back to Tim. "We have our ways!"  
  
"Would you like something to eat?" Maria offered. "We brought breakfast bars...there's apple-cinnamon, blueberry and...hey, peanut butter!" She held up some of the foil-wrapped snacks.  
  
"Peanut butter would be great...and so would...blueberry!" Tim grinned painfully through his bruises.  
  
"You got it Sport." Maria said, opening one package and handing it to Tim, who tried to sit up on his own, but was still pretty shaky.  
  
"Just lean back against Max; he's a big strong guy, he doesn't mind." Liz suggested with a smile, reaching out to gently brush the bangs off of Tim's forehead and looking significantly into Max's eyes.  
  
"Thanks." Tim said between bites as he unknowingly relaxed back against his birth-father and looked up at everyone standing around him. "Um, who are all of you people, please?" He asked and Max pointed everyone out.  
  
"That's my sister, Isabel and my brother-in-law, Jesse and these are our good friends, Michael, Maria and Kyle. They all helped in searching for you."   
  
"Um thanks everyone. I really, really appreciate everything you've done for me." Tim said, tears coming to his eyes.  
  
'Like father, like son.' Isabel thought to herself and decided to give them some time together. "I hear sirens. Why don't we all go out and guide them in?" She suggested and everyone but Max and Liz left the room.  
  
Once it was just the three of them, Tim stopped eating and became silent, his fingers picking at the blanket covering him.  
  
"What is it, Tim?" Max asked gently. Tim continued to look down at the blanket.  
  
"Um well...you may not know this but um...I was adopted by my parents when I was eight or nine months old..." Tim paused.  
  
"Your father did just tell us last week, that you and your sister are both adopted, Tim. But he also told us how much he and your mother love you..." Max said, gripping his shoulder, comfortingly.  
  
"Oh they did? ...Um good. The uh only thing is that...as long as I can remember...I've had this...dream...this memory...from when I was a baby..." Max looked from Tim to Liz, his eyes huge as Tim continued. "The memory is of a young man holding me in his arms...he tells me how much he loves me but that he has to give me up because it isn't safe for him to keep me...then he told me to grow up strong and wise...and to remember...him holding me in his arms...and how much he loves me..." Tim paused for a moment, but neither Max nor Liz moved.  
  
"When I was coming to, I heard your voice telling me that I was safe...and your voice merged with the voice from my...memory...and then...I opened my eyes..." Tim turned to look Max in the eyes. "And I saw you and...you are...the young man from my memory...You are my birth-father...aren't you?" Tim asked, not taking his gaze from Max's. Max blinked away the tears which gathered in his eyes and one drifted down his lean cheek. He had to clear his throat before he could answer.  
  
"Yes...Tim...I am your...birth-father." Max told him and they just sat there in silence for a few moments, staring at each other. Then Tim turned to Liz.  
  
"Are you...my...mother?" He asked and Liz bit her lip before answering.  
  
"No, Tim...I'm sorry, but...I'm not your mother." She answered sadly. "I wish I were."  
  
"Who was she...and where is she now?" Tim asked, turning back to Max. Max looked to Liz and then back to Tim and gripped the boy's shoulder.  
  
"There's no easy way to say this...Her name was Tess...and...she's...dead, Tim. But you must understand that she loved you so much that..." Max looked back to Liz who nodded to him. "...that she...she gave her life to save yours..." Tim's mouth dropped open.  
  
"I figured maybe she got cancer or something." Tim murmured thoughtfully. "But then in my memory...was that even real? ...in my memory, you said it wasn't safe for me to stay with you...Did my...did Tess' death have anything to do with...why it wasn't safe...for you to keep me?" Tim asked hesitantly. He had heard an edge in Mr. Evans' voice when he spoke of her.  
  
"Uh...yes...it did, Tim." Max said and then rushed on to forestall the next question he knew Tim would be asking. "And even though that...situation...which made it necessary for me to give you up has been over for ten years...I can't tell you what it was. It's over but...the fewer people who know about it the better...do you understand? Can you accept that?" Max asked seriously and Tim nodded thoughtfully.  
  
"Are you, like...in the Witness-Protection-Program? Is Max Evans even your real name?" Tim asked with a quirk to his lips.  
  
"No, nothing like that and yes my name really is Max Evans!" Max grinned at his son, the somber mood gone from both of them. "Speaking of my name...how did you know who I was when you first woke up, Tim?" Tim decided not to mention the time he'd seen his father in his teacher's classroom.  
  
"I went to pick up my girlfriend, Kathy at the country club where she works, last Friday and she pointed you two out to me." Tim answered.  
  
"Oh yeah, Liz and I saw you two dancing out in the hallway." Max nodded and smiled along with them.  
  
"Now I really do hear sirens." Liz said, looking towards the door and then got up and walked outside, but came back in a moment later. "Tim, your...family...and Kathy are here..." Liz said from the doorway. Tim looked back and forth between Liz and Max.  
  
"What...what should I tell them...about you...um...Father?" Tim asked and Max closed his eyes in sweet pain at hearing his son call him that...and mean it...for the very first time.  
  
"That'll be up to you, Tim." Max answered. "You can tell them whatever you want, depending on what...you want...from me...How much you want me to be a part of your life. But until you've had a chance to think about that, let's not mention it...Let me be...just the guy who helped to find you, okay?" Tim nodded in relief. "And never forget...they Are Your parents...they've raised you and loved you for seventeen years..." Max warned.  
  
"Yeah, you're right...Mr. Evans!" Tim grinned at his father as he caught sight of his family through the doorway. "But we will talk about all of this some more...later, right?"  
  
"Right." Max said as he stood up. "Do you think you can stand? Don't try if it hurts too much." Max advised.  
  
"No, I think I can do it." Tim said and Max helped him to stand up as a police officer and a detective, with his badge hanging from his breast pocket, came into the room.  
  
"Tim Hogan? Are you alright, son? Should we order an ambulance?" One man asked.  
  
"I'm Tim Hogan and no, I don't want to go to any hospital." Tim answered as he slowly walked forward, getting his balance back.  
  
"Well we'd like to get you checked out one way or another." The man looked to Max, who stood near Tim ready to give him support if necessary. "I'm Lieutenant Marcus Stowe, you must be Max Evans? I met your partner, Michael Guerin outside."   
  
The two men shook hands. Stowe had heard a lot about Evans and Guerin down at the Station. They were highly respected in their field and had been of great help to the Police in a number of cases over the years...and they were mystery men; with their motto of "we have our ways" as their pat-answer when asked how they found things out or solved case after case.  
  
"Can you make your way out of this room, so my people can come in and dust for prints?" The Lieutenant asked. Tim nodded and he slowly walked out of the room.  
  
"I don't think Jon Wozniak or any of his three buddies touched anything in here...except me. You might have some luck with the door." Tim suggested.  
  
"We'll check it out of course." Stowe assured him.  
  
Once they were out of the room, Tim's parents, sister and girlfriend were let loose by the officers who were holding them back.  
  
"Tim! Oh you poor thing!" Maggie Hogan wept when she saw how beaten up her son's face was.  
  
"AHH, watch how hard you hug me Bridge; I think one of my ribs is bruised." Time cried out and his sister sprang away.  
  
"Oooh, sorry!" She cried.  
  
"I'm afraid to touch you." Kathy said softly and Tim turned to her and took her into his arms for a gentle hug.  
  
"Oh Kathy...I was so worried about what he was going to do to you!" Tim cried into her sweet-smelling hair.  
  
"You were worried about me?" She cried in dismay. "I was terrified I'd never see you again!" And they hugged some more.  
  
"Mr. Hogan, will you come and sit in my squad car?" Lieutenant Stowe asked. "There are a lot of questions I need to ask you."  
  
"Surely those can wait until tomorrow or the next day, Lieutenant." Ian Hogan said; protective of his son. "You can see how tired and hurt he is."  
  
"I'll try to keep it brief, Dr. Hogan but..."  
  
"It was Jonathan Wozniak who got me, Lieutenant." Tim spoke up.  
  
"We believe you, young man, but unless we can find some fingerprints here, it'll be your lone word against all four of theirs'." Stowe warned.   
  
"Actually, there might be a way to get Wozniak and his group to give themselves away." Max said softly from nearby.  
  
"I don't know how, Mr. Evans; we've had them in for questioning twice now and they're all hanging onto their story. We can bring them in again of course, now that you've found Mr. Hogan here..." Stowe said doubtfully.  
  
"You may not need to do that, Lieutenant...I have a plan."  
Part 11  
  
"What's this big plan of yours, Mr. Evans?" Lieutenant Stowe asked.  
  
"It's simple really..." And Max went on to tell everyone the details of his plan. By they end, Stowe and everyone else was nodding...and some were grinning.   
  
"Sounds good." Stowe gave his permission, quickly arranged to have the call taped and Michael brought out his untraceable cell-phone.  
  
"Hello?" Jon Wozniak answered his phone.  
  
"Hey Jonathan, I know where you and your buddies really were and what you were really doing Tuesday night!" Michael said.  
  
"Who is this?" Jon asked starting to panic.  
  
"I'm your best friend Johnny and I have a one-time-only deal to offer you." Michael said.  
  
"What...what's that?" Jon asked.  
  
"You and your buddies come to...you know where...in the next twenty minutes and I don't call the cops."  
  
"But why...?" Jon started to ask before being interrupted.  
  
"Twenty minutes, Jonathan." Michael said and hung up. "You get all of that on tape?"  
  
"Yup." The police technician said grinning.  
  
"Good idea, Evans. Guerin didn't mention Tim Hogan, the address to this building or who his buddies are..." Stowe said and Tim continued, grinning.  
  
"So if Jonathan comes roaring over here with the other three and runs in to unlock my former cell...we've got 'im!"  
  
"He may even call out your name, Tim when he sees you're no longer in there. That'll be the kicker." Max said with satisfaction.  
  
"We've moved all of our squad cars and equipment out of sight, let's get that cell door relocked and take our positions in those other rooms over there." Lt. Stowe ordered. "Sound and video technicians, are you all set up?"  
  
"All set, Lieutenant." The techs assured their superior from the upper loft.  
  
"Okay let's move people. Back-up officers get outside to prevent these perps from getting away."  
  
Just as everyone took their places they heard tires squealing to a halt outside.  
  
"I'm surprised he didn't get pulled over for speeding." Maria whispered to Liz and earned herself a frown from Lt. Stowe.  
  
"Get that door open!" They heard Jonathan yell outside and a moment later the garage door opened and the four boys came running in. They were all carrying baseball bats and looked ready to rumble.  
  
"Where is he? Where's that guy who called me?" Jon exclaimed, panicked.  
  
"Place looks empty." Jim muttered.  
  
"Go check on Hogan." Jonathan told him, trying to hand Jim the key.  
  
"I'm not going in there. I don't want anything to do with a dead body. I wasn't even here when you guys beat him to death!" Jim exclaimed, dropping his bat and backing away with his hands in the air before he turned tail and ran out the door.  
  
"Nick, you go check on him." Jon ordered, holding out the key.  
  
"Not me, man." Nick said.  
Not me neither." Sam said. "We didn't do the beating, you did."  
  
"Hey you two were holding him down; the cops'll see it as the same thing." Jon told them, but neither would take the key and so Jonathan stomped over to the cell door in a snit, unlocked it and pushed it open.  
  
"S**t!" Came the yell from inside the storage room and the two boys went to investigate. "He's gone! Tim Hogan's body's gone! Oh S**t!" Jonathan yelled again.  
  
"We've got him!" Lt. Stowe yelled as he and everyone else came forward circling the three boys. "But keep taping everything." He called to the technicians as another officer came in with Jim already in handcuffs.  
  
"Stay where you are...Police...the four of you are under arrest for kidnapping, assault, stalking, sexual harassment and possibly...if I get my birthday wish...attempted murder." Stowe grinned menacingly. "You have the right to remain silent..." Stowe read them their rights.  
  
"Hey Jonathan..." Tim called out coming forward with Kathy, their arms around each other. "Don't worry; I'm sure some big burly convict named Spike would just love to take you to the Jail-House Prom!" And everyone cracked up laughing. But then Jonathan, who had not yet been cuffed and who was short but agile and possessed a strength born of insanity, lunged and came at Tim and Kathy with a bat he quickly picked up off the ground.  
  
"You muscle-bound jock; why couldn't you just be rotting in there like you're supposed to be?" Jon screamed.  
  
"Because you hit like a sissy!" Tim yelled back, stepping in front of Kathy and preparing himself to take on five feet two inches of insane twerp...  
  
...But there was no need, because suddenly Max was standing in Jonathan's path, one hand held out in front of him.  
  
"Max, NO!" Michael and Liz both yelled...but also without need.  
  
With one swift and barely discernable motion, Max took Jonathan by the wrist and had him flipping through the air and onto his back ...his baseball bat skidding across the ground.  
  
"You will never come anywhere near these two or their families ever again. When they throw you into your cell, why don't you just crawl into a dark corner and stay there, where you belong? Creeps like you make me sick." Max said all of this in his soft voice, but it was no longer gentle. The words were filled with such contempt and icy hatred that they pierced Jonathan to the core and made him shiver. Those amber eyes which were usually so warm and caring were instead dead and pitiless; and would haunt Jonathan for years to come.  
  
"Man, oh man!" Michael whispered so that only his friends could hear him. "I've never seen Max like that, not even during the war. Boys and girls, before us stands the King of Antar, protecting his young prince and heir! Man, I'd rather fight Khivar, Nicholas and the Dupes again rather than ever face Max when he's that angry."  
  
"Amen!" Maria said and the others heartily agreed as Max did an about-face and walked away from Jonathan as if he were no longer there...of no significance at all.   
  
Kathy and Tim followed his example and turned their backs on Jon without another word or glance, letting the Police cuff him and haul him, in shocked silence, to his feet and out to a squad car. Max walked up to his friends, grinned, took Liz into his arms and asked.  
  
"What; did you think I was going to blast him or something?" Everyone laughed. Tim heard his words but wondered at their meaning, since Mr. Evans wasn't carrying a gun.  
  
"Wow, Mr. Evans, could you teach me moves like that?" Bridget asked excitedly, coming over to them, the first to break out of her anxiety and shock. Max nodded.  
  
"Probably, if your parents don't object." He answered, smiling; back to being his quiet, gentle self.  
  
Just then Lieutenant Stowe walked up to Max with a look of respect on his face, but in the way of strong, silent types, he just stuck his hand out to Max and the younger man shook it. Then the Detective turned to Tim and his family.  
  
"Dr. Hogan, your son really should be checked out at a hospital, but he doesn't want an ambulance called...and since he's on his feet, I can accept that, but..."  
  
"We were going to take him to the ER as soon as you told us we could leave." Ian Hogan said firmly, looking at his son who was starting to lean on his girlfriend to stay standing. "No argument, Son."  
  
"Why don't I have two of my officers drive you over to the hospital now and I'll follow behind in a few minutes. Maybe I can take your statement while you wait for them to discharge you from the ER." Stowe said to Tim, but before he could turn back to Max, Ian jumped in.  
  
"Mr. Evans...er...Max, could I give you a call sometime this evening, after we get Tim home? We'd really like to thank...all of you..." He looked around at the group of friends..."and have a chance to talk to you."  
  
"Sure, Ian; we'll all be at Liz and my place." Max said and winced with the knowledge of the conversation he and his loving friends were going to have while they were waiting for Ian Hogan's phone call.  
  
"Great...Thank you all for everything you did for us!" Maggie said quickly before she and her family left to follow the officers who would drive them to the hospital, out to their cruisers.  
  
"Now Mr. Evans, if I could get statements from all of you..." Stowe said.  
  
"Uh sure, Lieutenant...better yet, why don't we give you the video tape we shot, of our searching this place and the condition in which we found Tim Hogan after we unlocked his cell-door?"  
  
"That would be very useful Mr. Evans, but how did you find him?" Stowe asked.  
  
"We have our own resources just as you have yours, Lieutenant." Michael said firmly.  
  
"Is that a variation on your usual answer; "we have our ways"?" Stowe asked.  
  
"If you like." Michael-stone-wall-Guerin said, not budging an inch.  
  
"Yeah well we'll see about that."  
  
"Did you find fingerprints or any other evidence of Wozniak's presence here?" Max asked.  
  
"Yeah, we believe that we did. The lab will tell us for sure. Plus that little play you made them enact..." Stowe cracked a smile. "...should be more than enough to put them all in jail for a good long while...Now that his buddies blurted out the important facts, I'm sure it won't take much to convince them to fill in all the pieces."  
  
"I'm glad." Max said simply, but Stowe looked at him with narrowed eyes.  
  
'No I would not want to have Max Evans as an enemy; no sir!' Stowe thought, silently.  
  
"Alright, you may all leave now. If I have any more questions I'll get in touch with you through Mr. Evans' office." Stowe said and the friends walked outside and down the street to their parked cars.  
  
~*~  
  
The Hogans arrived at the hospital; Dr. Hogan and Bridget stepping out of one police car and Maggie and Kathy, who would not leave Tim, getting out of another and helping Tim inside. He had managed to eat two more breakfast bars and drink some more water, but his ordeal had still left him weak and hurting. They filled out the necessary forms and Tim was taken back into the examination rooms soon after; it being a slow day in the emergency room. It took some talking, but finally Maggie Hogan was allowed to go back and stay with her son as he had blood drawn, x-rays taken and was given a physical exam. Dr. Hogan, Bridget and Kathy sat down and tried to get comfortable in the plastic chairs in the waiting room.  
  
"Can either of you tell me how Max and Liz Evans got involved in searching for Tim? I thought Mr. Evans worked in security, not as a private detective."  
  
"Well, Mom was getting more and more frightened that the Police couldn't find Tim and decided to call Mr. Evans to see if there was anything he could do to help." Bridget answered. She had been sitting quietly in the living room before Mr. and Mrs. Evans had come over that afternoon and saw everything that had happened.  
  
"You mean Mom only called them today...this afternoon?" Dr. Hogan asked, incredulous.  
  
"Yeah, that's the exciting part!" Bridget answered sitting on the edge of her chair. "Mr. and Mrs. Evans arrived and Mr. Hogan spoke to Mom, to get all the information he could from her, about Tim's disappearance. Mrs. Evans..." Kathy interrupted the younger girl so she could tell her part of the story.  
  
"Mrs. Evans came over to me and...and I think she was trying to lighten my mood or something. She asked me which picture of Tim on the mantle I liked best and I told her that it was a toss-up between his baby picture or his senior year picture and we both agreed that we hate it when our men cut their hair too short...and then...I guess Mrs. Evans took a good look at Tim's baby picture; she had been looking at all of them, and all of sudden she became really pale and I called out to her; I thought she might faint. That's when Mr. Evans came running over to her. He was very concerned and took her into his arms; asking what was wrong and I guess she indicated that he should look at the picture too, because he did...and then Mr. Evans went pale and said something like, "after all these years..." And then both Mr. and Mrs. Evans were running out the door; Mrs. Evans told us that they would call if they found anything and then they were gone." Kathy finally stopped to catch her breath.  
  
"How long was that before they called to tell you that they had found Tim?" Dr. Hogan asked.  
  
"No more than an hour, I'd guess." Kathy said and Bridget nodded her agreement.  
  
"An hour...but how could they find Tim in an hour when the Police have been looking for him for two days?" Dr. Hogan asked almost to himself. "I don't want to believe that...he had something to do with Tim's disappearance."  
  
"NO Daddy, NO!" Bridget cried out.  
  
"No, I don't think Mr. Evans had anything to do with Tim's abduction, Dr. Hogan." Kathy said emphatically. "You saw how he stepped in front of the two of us to protect us from Jonathan...how angry he was at Jon..."  
  
"No...I didn't really think that...but I would really like to know how he did it." Ian said.  
  
Just then, Mrs. Hogan came out to see them.  
  
"Mom...how is he?" Bridget asked, still a little worried about her big brother.  
  
"He's fine, Honey. They've taken blood samples and x-rays and he's been examined by the doctor. We're just waiting for the results, but the doc thinks that his ribs are only bruised and that he only has a slight concussion. I just came out to give you the news before I go back to be with Tim."  
  
"Oh that is a relief!" Ian Hogan grinned and hugged his wife. Then he drew back a little. "Honey...the girls have been telling me about what happened when the Evanses came to the house this afternoon...what do you think happened...when they both saw Tim's baby picture?" Maggie hesitated for a moment before replying.  
  
"I...think...they...recognized him, Ian. I think...they may be Tim's birth-parents." Maggie said seriously. "That's the only reason I can think of to account for their...intense reaction."  
  
"Do you think that either of them could have...helped abduct Tim?" Ian asked and then ducked.  
  
"Goodness NO! What are you thinking Ian Timothy Hogan? Foolishness! You saw how Max hovered so close to Tim when they brought him out of that awful little room he was being held in. And then he stepped in front of Tim and Kathy to protect them!" Ian held up his hands in surrender, nodding.  
  
"Okay, okay. Has Tim said anything to you about...Max and Liz Evans?"  
  
"Well only a little, while he gave his statement to Lt. Stowe. He said how nice they were to him after they found him. They had a blanket, some food and water and Max let him lean back against him when Tim couldn't sit up by himself. Otherwise he's been busy being x-rayed and poked and prodded." Maggie said and Ian nodded again.  
  
"What do you think we should do now Maggie?" Ian asked.  
  
"I don't know Ian. We could gently ask Tim if Max or Liz said anything to him. I mean they may not be his birth-parents but I sure would like to know for certain."  
  
"And if they are?" Ian asked and Maggie frowned at her husband.  
  
"I'm too tired to answer such important questions...I'd, I'd like to know what Tim wants from them, what they want from him...I...I don't want to loose him as my son...but he is almost eighteen...maybe he doesn't...need me...anymore." Maggie tried to hold back her tears and Ian enfolded her into his arms again.  
  
"He'll always need both of you, Mrs. Hogan; you're both his parents." Kathy said with certainty as she put her hand on her future-mother-in-law's back and patted it gently. Maggie drew back from Ian a little, sniffling.  
  
"Thank you dear." She moved to hug her future daughter-in-law. "I'd better go back in..."  
  
"Maggie do you think I could go see him this time?" Ian asked and Maggie agreed.  
  
When Ian walked back into the ER, he saw Lt. Stowe coming out of a cubicle.  
  
"Lieutenant, have you been speaking to my son?" Ian asked.  
  
"I took his statement while your wife was with him. If you can bring him down to the Station tomorrow or the next day to sign it, I'd appreciate it." Stowe said.  
  
"Of course." Ian agreed and then hesitated. "Lieutenant, how did Max Evans say he found my son? That was quick work on his part."  
  
"He wouldn't say. He and Guerin, his partner, never tell anyone their methods, never take any credit for their busts and they always insist on us keeping their names out of our reports."  
  
"Really? Isn't that unusual, or even a little suspicious?" Ian asked.  
  
"A little...and I'm sure that I'm not the only cop who's run a check on them or kept an eye on them when they first met them, but..."   
  
"But?" Ian asked.  
  
"But, there's nothing to find. They're good men who have made admirable lives for themselves."  
  
"Why do you say that? Do you know their background?" Ian asked, intrigued.  
  
"Just a little. Both men...and Mr. Evans' sister were foundlings...adopted, grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, put themselves through college and ever since have built solid, respectable reputations for themselves in this community."  
  
"Oh." Was all Ian could say to Lt. Stowe's defensive tone. "Well thank you, Lieutenant for everything you did for my son." He said and stuck out his hand and shook Stowe's proffered hand.  
  
"Just doing my job, Dr. Hogan, but I'm glad your son is going to be alright." Stowe said before leaving.  
  
Ian watched him go and then went to find his son, who was in the cubicle just on the other side of the curtain from where the two men had been speaking. Tim was having an Ace bandage wrapped around is ribs; more for comfort than anything else. Ian saw for the first time all the bruises which covered his son's body and felt tears water his eyes. He cleared his throat.  
  
"Hey son, how are you feeling?" Ian gently gripped Tim's bare shoulder.  
  
"I'm okay Dad...as long as I don't move!" Tim tried to smile around the bruising on his face. He had small bandages covering a couple spots which had needed stitching.  
  
"I'm surprised you didn't get a black eye." Ian wondered.  
  
"Hey like I said, the pipsqueak hits like a sissy!" Tim tried to joke.  
  
"I am so sorry you had to go through all of that..." Ian gently hugged his son and was hugged back.  
  
"It's...it's over Dad." Tim said not admitting to his father that he'd actually been unconscious while the damage had been done. He didn't think that knowledge would make his father feel any better.  
  
Just then a doctor came into the cubicle.  
  
"Mr. Hogan? I'm Doctor Mitchell." The men shook hands.  
  
"Actually my dad's a doctor too; he's a veterinarian." Tim corrected the physician proudly.  
  
"Oh? Sorry, Dr. Hogan." Doc Mitchell said and Ian waived the apology aside.  
  
"When can my son come home, Doctor?"  
  
"In just a few minutes; they're printing up his discharge instructions now. We have the test results back. He's still dehydrated, has a light concussion, two bruised ribs, but no internal injuries...and a heck of a lot of bruises everywhere else. All in all he's a lucky young man. Nothing some rest and a lot of TLC can't cure!"  
  
"Thank you, Doctor!" Ian said as he signed the discharge papers and Tim was helped into a wheel-chair. They went back out front, found their family and the two police officers who had waited to drive them all home.  
Part 12  
  
While Tim was at the hospital, Max, Liz, Michael, Maria and Kyle gathered at Max and Liz's house. Kyle called Connie and told her all about what had just happened. While they had been busy rescuing Tim, she had been busy finding another baby-sitter to take care of all of their children. She understood Max's need to move immediately once he had found out who his son was and where he was being held and so she had done her part, but now she wanted in on whatever was going to happen next.  
  
"Connie will be here in just a few minutes." Kyle told everyone. "She was able to get our favorite baby-sitter to come over and watch the kids so that she can be here with us."  
  
"Great, Kyle." Max said...and when Connie arrived..."Connie, I'm glad you were able to make arrangements for all of our kids to be watched so that you could be with us now. We missed you at the warehouse, but I know I'm not the only one who will appreciate your sound advice now."  
  
"Thanks Max." Connie smiled at their unofficial leader. Even if Max Evans had abdicated his throne on Antar years ago, she and all of their friends still looked to him for help and guidance...but now Max needed them and she was happy to help.  
  
Max took his seat close beside Liz and took her hand while Connie cuddled herself into Kyle's embrace on the sofa.  
  
"I want to thank all of you, especially Isabel, for helping me rescue Zan...um Tim in time. He'll be okay but I'm sure he and his family will have a lot of questions for me...us. The first being how did we find Tim in just over one hour? Man I hope they don't think we had anything to do with his abduction." Max said, worried.  
  
"They won't Max, they're nice people." Liz assured her mate.  
  
"And anyway the answer is simple." Isabel said. "We tell them the truth about who we are and that you're Tim's natural-father."  
  
"We have told Tim that I'm his father, but we can't tell them the truth about our being aliens, Isabel." Max said, feeling a sense of deja-vu come over him.  
  
"Why not, Max? Mom and Dad..."  
  
"We had no choice with Mom and Dad, Isabel. We have a choice with Tim and his family and a lot of good reasons not to tell him."  
  
"You're starting a new relationship with your son, Max. Don't you think that new relationship should be based on honesty?" Isabel asked. "What reasons could possibly outweigh the hurt and betrayal he's going to feel if he ever finds out?"  
  
"Isabel...if we tell him the truth about ourselves, you know that eventually Tim will have to be told the truth about Tess. It's one thing, his finding out that I'm an alien hybrid; it is another thing entirely for that innocent boy to be told that his dead mother, who he thinks gave up her life to save his, is in fact a mind-warping, selfish, traitorous...murderer! Do you really want his only memory of his birth-mother to be sullied and ruined by knowing that his very conception was the biggest, ugliest mistake I ever made and part of a plot to get the three of us back to Antar, where we would have been executed? And by which he would have been placed under the power and control of Khivar? That information could totally throw his whole world into a spin he'd never recover from."  
  
Silence greeted Max's outburst as everyone thought about what he had said.  
  
"Man, I hate it when you're right!" Isabel sighed. "Tim might have questions or find out...something in the future...but it would be best if he never finds out the truth about Tess."  
  
"Does that mean we'll have to listen to him praising her name for the rest of our lives?" Kyle asked, making gagging noises with his finger pointed to his open mouth.  
  
"I...don't...think so." Max answered thoughtfully. "He's a perceptive boy and he must have heard something in my voice when I mentioned her, because he always referred to her as 'Tess', rather than 'mother'...but he referred to me as his 'father'!" Max couldn't help but grin.  
  
"We may have to tell Tim and his family that um Tess was a youthful mistake or something because Maggie and Ian Hogan already know that Max and I have been married for seventeen years and that our oldest son is only nine years old." Liz warned.  
  
"So...are we back to where we can answer the original question?" Michael asked. "How did we find Tim so quickly?"  
  
"Couldn't you tell them that one of your contacts saw a boy who matched Tim's description being hauled into that warehouse?" Connie asked.  
  
"Good idea, Connie, but there's one other complication." Max said smiling at his friend. At Connie's enquiring look, Max continued. "Liz and I had a rather...intense reaction when we saw Tim's baby-picture. They have to be wondering about that. I think Tim will have to tell his family who I am, but back to the question..."  
  
"I'll tell them that I'm a little bit psychic." Isabel volunteered. "I've done that a few times before, over the years and no one has gone screaming into the street."  
  
"You'd be willing to tell them that, Izy?" Max asked and Isabel nodded. "That would...be great!" Brother and sister smiled at each other.  
  
"So does that cover everything?" Jesse asked and when everyone nodded, he looked at his watch. "Boy that took longer than I thought; it's almost seven o'clock."  
  
Just then, the phone rang and Max got up to answer it.  
  
"Hello? Hi Ian, how's Tim? He's okay? I'm so glad! Uh, yeah, we'd all be happy to come over to your house. Yeah sure, in fifteen minutes or so." Max said, before hanging up.  
  
"Looks like we made our decisions just in time. The Hogans would like all of us to come over to their house." Max said and everyone got up to leave.  
  
~*~  
  
Half an hour before, the Hogans had arrived home from the hospital.  
  
"Tim, why don't I help you up to your room and you can lie down and get some rest?" Ian suggested.  
  
"And I'll bring you up something to eat. What sounds good to you?" Maggie asked.  
  
"Anything would be great, Mom, thanks; but couldn't I stay down here on the sofa? I don't feel like being alone right now and even though my body's tired, my mind is wide awake." Tim said.  
  
"Of course, Honey. Hey why don't I order some pizzas, loaded with everything?" Maggie suggested and everyone enthusiastically agreed.  
  
"Come on Tim, I'll help you into the living room." Kathy said softly, wrapping his arm around her neck and hers around his waist. When they reached the sofa, she had Tim kick off his shoes, sat down at the end of the long sofa and then had Tim lay down with his head pillowed on her lap. Bridget had followed them and she draped an afghan over him to keep him warm.  
  
"Thanks, Bridge." Tim said, tired. Bridget didn't complain about the nick-name; instead she sat down on the coffee-table.  
  
"I'm so glad your okay." She said, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
"I'm okay, Sis." Tim assured her with a faint smile.  
  
"It must have been awful." Kathy shuddered and her fingers, which had been stroking his hair and face stilled for a moment. "I saw you lying on the floor, propped up against Mr. Evans when we first arrived at the warehouse."  
  
"It's over, Honey." Tim managed to reach up and stroke her sweet face. Kathy caught his hand in one of hers and pressed her lips to his palm.  
  
Just then, Tim's parents came into the living room.  
  
"Pizza should be here in twenty to thirty minutes." Ian said and everyone but Tim looked at everyone else and then back to the boy, lying on the sofa. "Uh Son, there's something we'd like to ask you."  
  
"What's that, Dad?" Tim asked.  
  
"You know that we are incredibly grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Evans for finding you and we know that you really like Mrs. Evans as a teacher and that you are one of her star pupils, but we are wondering if she...or Mr. Evans mentioned anything to you about why they were so determined to find you. After all the Police were doing everything they could..."  
  
"Oh boy..." Tim moaned.  
  
"Tim, are you alright?" Maggie asked her son. "You know that you can tell us anything, don't you? But if there's something...you don't want to talk about..."  
  
"No, it isn't that...really...it's only that...I don't know how you're going to react to what I need to tell you..." Tim floundered.  
  
"Tim, we may...already have an idea about what you want to tell us; please...just start and we'll keep our minds open, okay?" Ian said and Tim nodded.  
  
"Well, I've always known that I was adopted; you explained all that to me when I was four, but I always knew you loved me and I've always thought of you as my real parents and Bridget as my real sister...And I loved you...love you all...so much so that I hardly ever thought about where I came from or who my birth-parents were." At this Tim saw all four of them glancing around to each other and realized that maybe they did know something about what he was going to tell them.  
  
"But um...something happened today, when Mr. and Mrs. Evans and their friends found me. Mr. Evans had lifted me up off of the floor so that I was kind of leaning back against him when I woke up...and he was saying stuff like 'you're okay now Tim, you're safe now son'...and somehow I just knew...I mean we don't really look all that much alike, but all of a sudden I was explaining to him and Mrs. Evans that I was adopted...and then I asked Mr. Evans if he was my birth-father...and he said yes...and he had such a look of sadness mixed with joy on his face that I just knew that he was telling me the truth."  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Bridget sighed.  
  
Kathy realized then that the "something" that had happened to Tim earlier that day was the dream; he must have had that dream/memory again, either triggered by Mr. Evans' words or coming right before them and Tim had been able to match up the face of his birth-father with that of Mr. Evans. She sighed happily and took his hand. Tim glanced over to her for an instant and smiled, somehow knowing what she was thinking and silently confirming her thoughts for her, before turning back to his parents.  
  
"What about Mrs. Evans; is she your...birth-mother?" Maggie asked. She had taken some strength from what Tim had said earlier, but still her heart gave a little squeeze as she asked the question.  
  
"Uh no...she said that she wished she was, but she's not. Mr. Evans said that a girl named Tess was my birth-mother, but that she...um...died a long time ago." Tim said deciding not to share everything he'd been told, yet.  
  
'But Max and Liz said that they have been married for seventeen years.' Ian thought to himself. 'Was this Tess-girl's getting pregnant some sort of teenage accident? Did Max give up Tim so that Liz would stay by his side? No, Max and Liz are so close and in love and Liz was the one who pointed out the baby-picture to Max; she wanted him to find Tim as much as he did...according to what Kathy, Bridget and Maggie told me and what I saw at the warehouse, if only for a moment. Oh well, that's all pretty personal stuff; we'll probably never know the story behind Tim's conception, birth and adoption.' Ian sighed quietly.  
  
Everyone was making significant eye contact again, Tim noticed.  
  
"So is that what you thought I was going to say and if it was, how did you know? ...And if not, what did you think I was going to say?" Tim asked.  
  
"Um, yes, that's what we thought you were going to tell us about, but we couldn't be sure; we only suspected..." Ian said and then turned to Kathy. "Why don't you tell Tim what happened while Mr. and Mrs. Evans were here this afternoon?" He suggested. Kathy nodded and looked down at Tim, who was looking up at her.  
  
"Your mother decided to call Mr. Evans today, to see if he could help us find you. Both he and Mrs. Evans were very willing to try and help and came over soon after Mom..." Kathy grinned at Mrs. Hogan, who gave her a surprised but pleased smile in return. "...um called them. When they arrived, Mr. Evans spoke to...Mom, getting any information she had, while Mrs. Evans came over to me. The two of us chatted about which of your pictures on the mantle I like best but then she took a good look at your baby-picture and turned pale. I thought she was going to faint and called out. Mr. Evans came over to her and she indicated that he should look at your picture too. Tim I'm almost certain...they recognized you as a baby! Mr. Evans said something like 'after all these years' and the next thing we knew, they're running out the door, promising to call if they find anything. Just over an hour later they did call...to tell us that they had found you!"  
  
"What? It took them only an hour? Wow...But how could they have found me so quickly?" Tim asked, relaxing again under Kathy's gentle ministrations.   
  
"We don't know but we'd like to find out." His dad said. "Ah, there's the pizza, why don't I give them a call and ask them to come over?" Everyone nodded and he went to answer the door, while Bridget and Maggie got up to go get plates, paper napkins and drinks for everyone.  
  
Once everything was set out on the coffee-table and his family had drawn their chairs closer, Tim slowly sat up with Kathy's help so he could eat without making a mess.  
  
"Take your time Tim; don't eat so fast or you'll be sick. There's no rush." Maggie admonished her son.  
  
"It's all so good and I'm very hungry." Tim said, but slowed down how fast he shoved the pizza into his mouth.  
  
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Ian got up to answer it.  
  
"Please, come in all of you. We'll get more chairs; please have a seat, have some pizza." Ian greeted his guests and then he, his wife and daughter went to bring in more chairs from the dining room.  
  
"Well, now that we're all seated and those of you who want some pizza have some, maybe we could introduce ourselves. I'm sorry we weren't able to speak to each of you personally at the warehouse." Maggie said.  
  
"Ian and Maggie Hogan, these are my sister and brother-in-law, Isabel and Jesse Ramirez." Max pointed everyone out as he introduced them. "Our good friends, Michael and Maria Guerin and Kyle and Connie Valenti. Everyone, this is Kathy Murphy, Tim's girlfriend and Bridget Hogan, Tim's sister and of course his parents." Hellos were exchanged.  
  
"Oh yes, Maria, we met that day when Liz and I had lunch at your restaurant." Maggie smiled to see a familiar face.  
  
"Well we wanted to thank all of you again for everything you did to help find our son so quickly." Ian said, sincerely. "And there is something I should let you know right away, so there is...um...less awkwardness...Tim has told us that you are his...um...natural-father, Max..." Max looked between Tim and Ian with a worried frown on his face.  
  
"He did? I had suggested that he wait for a few days and think about what he wants...um...from me, now that he knows who I am." Max said softly.  
  
"That was considerate of you, allowing Tim to figure things out for himself and I guess he will still need to do some thinking on that subject even though we know the truth." Maggie said, smiling.  
  
"I understand better, now why you were motivated to find Tim so quickly." Ian said.  
  
"We didn't know that Tim is...was...my son before we came here and saw his baby-picture." Max replied quickly. "And I always do my best for those I am trying to help."  
  
"Of course." Ian agreed sincerely, realizing that he was acting like a fool. "Still it was incredible how quickly you found Tim; I'd love to hear how you did it." Max hesitated and Isabel jumped in.  
  
"Max and Liz saw Tim's baby-picture and recognized him as Max's son, Zan..."  
  
"Zan, that was my name?" Tim asked, interested.  
  
"It...was...a family name." Max said, glaring at Isabel for giving away that bit of information.  
  
"Cool!" Bridget exclaimed.  
  
"Anyway, Max and Liz recognized your picture and that little rattle you were holding, rushed out of this house and sped home to theirs', calling all of us to come over as they drove. We all arrived at their house and Max explained the situation to us and asked for my help...you see...I'm a little bit...um...psychic and Max was hoping I could find Tim using my...um...gift."  
  
"Wow that is so cool!" Bridget exclaimed and Isabel grinned at her.  
  
"I'm interested how your gift works; could you tell us about it?" Ian asked.  
  
"Well mostly my...um...gift allows me to connect with the mind of a person who is asleep or unconscious. Dreams and unconscious thought can be very helpful and informative. In Tim's case, his mind showed me the outside of the warehouse where I was able to see the street address. When I came out of my meditative state I was able to tell Max where he was."  
  
"Oh man, now I remember!" Tim exclaimed. "I was wondering why you looked so familiar; I saw you in my dream. You came over to me as I lay on that cold cement floor; you touched my shoulder and told me that help was on the way and for me to hold on until it arrived! Your words really lifted my spirits...thank you." Tim stiffly stood up and Isabel quickly came over to hug him.  
  
"I just realized something else." Tim said as he drew away a little from Isabel. "If you're my...father's sister, that would make you my aunt, right?" Tim smiled, hopefully.  
  
"Absolutely! And Jesse is your uncle...and I'm sure the rest of these guys will claim aunt and uncle status if you let them...if, um...you want them to..." Isabel trailed off uncertainly, stepping away.  
  
"I know that you haven't really had any time to think about this but maybe we could discuss...things...a little." Ian suggested to his son but then glanced over to Max. "Now that you know who Tim is...what do you want...from him...for your relationship?"  
  
"Ian..." Maggie exclaimed.  
  
"It's alright, Maggie." Max assured her with a smile. "All I wanted...want is for Tim to be safe and happy...All of you have helped him be that and I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate what you've done for him. Everything...anything else depends on what Tim wants. If he wants me to become a part of his life, that would be more than I ever hoped for." Max grinned but then sobered again. "If...if he doesn't...well, at least I've had this chance to see him again and helped him out a little when he needed...help." Max shrugged helplessly. "But Tim should take time to think about what he wants before he gives us any answers."  
  
"Um...actually...I don't think I need anymore time." Tim said and everyone looked to him expectantly. "Mom and Dad...I hope you know that I love you...so much...You have been my parents for as long as I can remember and you always will be. Nothing can change the way I feel about you and Bridget. But now I have an opportunity to get to know this man who was my birth-father. I don't want to upset anyone. I want things to remain the same within our family, but at the same time...maybe I could make a new friend...or friends...with him...with all of them...Would that...would that be okay with...everyone?"  
  
Maggie had been a little worried about how this whole thing would work out, but now after hearing what Max Evans had to say and seeing that he wasn't make any demands, but was leaving the decision up to Tim, she felt the lump of fear which had been pressing in on her chest, dissolve and fade away.  
  
Bridget tried not to role her eyes at her father, as he hesitated before giving Tim his opinion. She thought it was great that Tim wanted to spend time with Mr. Evans and get to know him...and maybe...she could tag along sometimes. Of course she had not yet asked her parents about taking self-defense classes from him, but if they said okay...! Bridget covered her mouth to keep her giggles from coming out.  
  
Ian looked over to Max and was surprised by what he saw on the younger man's face. Not triumph or satisfaction over a victory he had been certain of, but pure joy and happiness and tears swimming in his eyes. But then Max turned to look at him and the smile disappeared to be replaced by a closed and controlled expression, like a prisoner, waiting in front of a firing squad.  
  
'Oh...man...He's afraid...of me! Max Evans is actually afraid that I might forbid Tim from seeing him.' Ian Hogan thought in horror. 'I have been so afraid of losing my son to this man, that I didn't even notice his own fear. A dread of being shown what he wants most in the world, only to have it snatched away.'  
  
"Of course that would be all right, Tim." Ian said, sincerely as he looked around at his family and saw relief on their faces. 'Looks like I have some bridges to mend, if they all though I would forbid Tim from seeing Max.' Ian thought.  
  
"It's obvious that Max has always had your happiness and best welfare in mind by everything he has done for you; giving you up for adoption when he was so young, in order for us to adopt you and build a family together...And when you were in such danger, fate brought Max back into your life so that he could save you from that danger...and yet he stepped back afterwards in order to allow you to make your own decisions about what you want and what will make you happy. I'm proud of you, Tim that you care so much for all of us and our feelings and yet you can sense that Max, Liz and all of their friends are good people, who have much to share with you and will make excellent friends."  
  
"Th-thanks, Dad!" Tim exclaimed, grinning and glancing around at his family who were all smiling at him. "Thanks everyone!"  
  
Ian saw that Max had a grin back on his face and when they met each other's gaze he saw Max mouth the words "thank you" to him. Ian in turn mouthed "no, thank you" back to Max through all of the celebratory sounds of their families.  
  
Max came over to Tim, who stood up to greet him and they hugged.  
  
"Um, what should I call you...Father?" Tim asked uncertainly, in a quiet voice.  
  
"That would be great if you want...but maybe Max would work better...when others are around?" Max suggested and Tim nodded with a grin.  
  
Then it was everyone else's turn to hug Tim and reintroduce themselves as "Aunt Maria" or "Uncle Kyle". By the time Tim sat back down he was physically drooping and he had to hide a yawn behind his hand.  
  
"Yes, I bet you are tired after the last few days you've had!" Max said, gently. "Maybe we should all be heading home and let Tim get some rest in his own bed...We have all the time in the world now, to get to know each other..." He grasped his son's shoulder.  
  
"But, but..." Tim tried to argue.  
  
"Max is right, there's plenty of time to do everything you want to..." Maggie agreed.  
  
Everyone stood up and filed by Tim for one more hug before they walked out to the front hall; Ian, Maggie and Bridget went with them. Max made sure that he was the last, glad that Ian was allowing them a moment alone.  
  
"Tim...if you ever want to talk to someone...about these last few days, I'm just a phone call away." Max said, glancing over to Kathy, including her in what he was saying. "You may not know this but...Isabel and I were found abandoned when we were six years old; we were adopted and grew up happily with our adoptive parents...but then...I was also...abducted when I was sixteen; my friends and Kyle's dad helped rescue me...I know what you went through and what you are feeling right now...all too well...so again, if you ever need an ear to listen...I'm here for you, okay?"  
  
"O-okay...Father." Tim said and then. "Hey...Max...you and um, Liz have children don't you?"  
  
"Yes, two boys and a girl...you'll have to come over and meet them, they are your half-siblings after all!" Max grinned. "And then there are my parents; your third set of grandparents, they'll really want to see you again, I'm sure!"   
  
"Wow, a third set of grandparents?" Tim exclaimed and Kathy giggled.   
  
"Well, then there are Liz's parents...and the parents of all of our friends, they're all kind of honorary grandparents to all of our kids, just as we are honorary aunts and uncles to all of them!" Max saw Tim's eyes getting bigger and bigger and patted him on the arm. "Don't worry; we have lots of time for family reunions...and getting to know each other!"  
  
"Yeah, wow that sounds great!" He said, hugging Max tightly before they let go and Tim, with Kathy's help walked Max out to the front door.  
  
Max and Ian shook hands and then Ian pulled Max into a hug.   
  
"Thanks again for everything you did for Tim today; rescuing him and then letting him make his own choices. You, your lovely wife and all your friends will always be welcome in our home."  
  
"Thanks, Ian we look forward to spending time here." Max said before he turned to Liz who had been waiting for him and took her into his arms for a quick, tight hug and an intense kiss, to let go of some of the tension he'd been feeling.  
  
"Hey Tim, Kathy." Liz asked after she had come up for breath. "Since everything that's happened these last few days came about because some idiot kid wanted to take Kathy to the Prom tomorrow...are you two going to attend? Tim did the doctor's say anything about whether you could slow-dance with your lady-love or not? Max and I are two of the chaperones..."  
  
"I did ask the docs and they said as long as I felt up do it and didn't dance too...strenuously...that I could go!" Tim said, grinning.  
  
"Great, see you there!" Max said before the two of them stepped outside.  
Part 13  
  
"Bored, so bored." Tim muttered to himself as he paced back and forth in his room the next morning. He had been told to stay home from school for one more day and his mother had stayed home from her classes to be with him, but she had left a while ago to do the grocery shopping and he was alone in the house. Normally Tim had no trouble finding things to do but his bruised ribs kept him from doing anything too active and he didn't feel like just sitting and watching a movie or reading a book. He knew he had homework and studying to catch up on but he wanted to wait until tomorrow so he could study with Kathy. And lastly, he had been told not to do what he most wanted to.  
  
His father, Max Evans had warned him not to ask any more questions about his past, that it was too dangerous for anyone else to know about what had happened all those years ago. But Tim knew that he could not accept what Max had told him and asked him to do. He would try to find the answers himself and then so as to not worry Max, Tim would not tell anyone about what he had done.  
  
With a decisive nod of his head, Tim sat down at his computer and booted it up. Besides his love of biology, chemistry and computer programming, Tim loved searching the Web and was very good at it. He had quite a list of special search engines and indexes bookmarked on his browser and clicked on his favorite as soon as he got online.  
  
He had heard the conversation between Lt. Stowe and his dad at the hospital the day before and so knew that Roswell, New Mexico was the place to start his search. He started it at West Roswell High School's website and the link to all of their yearbooks. It had been luck that Tim had chosen West Roswell as the first high school website to check and he found his father's sophomore picture quickly. Finding that had helped him search the correct years. Tim had planned to search Roswell's weekly newspaper first and then to broaden his search to other newspapers in the Southwest, big and small, using the search features on the archives he linked to.  
  
Hours later, he sorted his findings by placing all of his print-outs on his bed. He had found quite a bit of information; a lot of it had not been what he had expected...at all...nor had the websites he had found that information listed on. Small town and big city newspapers, yes; UFO and government conspiracy sites...no. But his broader searches for "Max Evans" and "mysterious youth/boy" had pulled up some very interesting information, which seemed to fit in among the more official newspaper articles.  
  
Trying to understand all the incredible information he had found and to make sense of all it implied, Tim started reading through everything by chronological order. He had not discovered these varied bits and pieces in that order by any means.  
  
***1947; UFO crashes outside of Roswell, New Mexico. Aliens discovered. Government cover-up and conspiracy suspected. ***  
Tim did not know how this story could possibly have any baring on Max Evans and his friends, when he had found it early on in his search, but it had been an interesting article and he had printed it, along with everything else. Now as he looked over everything else he had found, he wondered.  
  
***1989 Three children were found, abandoned out in the desert. A boy and girl; by the young couple, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Evans. A second boy was also found and turned over to Children's Services. *** There was a short, follow-up article over a year later about the Evanses having adopted "Max and Isabel" and that "Michael Guerin" had been placed with foster parents.  
  
***1999 Shooting at the CrashDown Café! *** The Roswell paper reported that two men had been fighting in the café when the gun, one of the men was holding, had accidentally gone off. It had been feared that the café-owner's daughter, Liz Parker had been shot but it was quickly revealed that she had only broken a bottle of catsup and spilled it on herself as she fell after the shots were fired. This was the first instance where Tim found a counter-opinion to what had happened on a UFO website.   
  
***Waitress miraculously healed after being shot in Roswell, New Mexico. *** This story started out the same way, but then gave the eye witness account of two tourists who saw the young waitress, Liz Parker fall to the floor and a teenage boy, Max Evans run over to her and "do something" to her. After which Liz said that she was okay and had actually only spilled catsup on herself. But the witnesses reported that the gun had fired two shots; in Liz Parker's direction and only one bullet could be found.  
  
***A few month's later: Everett Hubbell shot in shootout with Sheriff. *** The story only mentioned that it was Roswell Sheriff, Jim Valenti who had shot the man in self-defense after Mr. Hubbell had pointed a gun at him.   
  
***Alien hunter shot outside of Roswell. *** A UFO website gave their account of what happened and this was the first time Tim heard the term "alien-hunter". The article reported that Mr. Hubbell was shot outside of a closed diner, exactly in the spot his young wife had been killed years ago. No cause of death for Mrs. Hubbell could be determined but she did have a silver handprint on her skin. It was also noted that James Valenti, Sr. had been Roswell's sheriff at the time of Mrs. Hubbell's death and that he had also been a noted alien hunter.  
  
***UFO sighting in Frasier Woods. *** The Roswell newspaper reported and even though the Sheriff's Department had cordoned off the area, several lost teens who became separated from their school camping trip, were found near the site. Liz Parker, Max and Isabel Evans, Maria DeLuca and Michael Guerin were the names of the lost teenagers.   
  
That spring; ***Special (alien-hunting) Unit of the FBI is believed to be watching several teens in Roswell, New Mexico. Activity noted at the old Eagle Rock military base.*** A UFO website reported this and then noted that soon after, the unit had pulled out of Roswell and back to Washington, D.C., where later the next fall, it was disbanded.  
  
The newspapers and websites had no news for some time after that and this is where Tim placed his print-outs from West Roswell's year books. His father had not changed much in appearance during high school, unlike Michael Guerin, who had started out with short, spiky hair and ended up with long, wavy hair. There was Max's Junior-year picture, which had been replaced with a green alien-head. Tim also had print-outs of candid shots from the yearbooks, taken of the teens. Isabel, Michael and Max; the boys in particular, were most often shown gathered together in the shadows underneath the bleachers. Or Max would be walking along with his head down, his face an emotionless mask. Liz, Maria and a boy named Alex Whitman were caught in a couple of shots, laughing together and then there was the collage in their Junior yearbook, dedicated to Alex, after his death in a car accident. One poignant picture in the collage was of all the teens at his gravesite. But Tim's favorite picture was the one-and-only shot of Max and Liz walking down a hall, arms around each other's waist. Max with a half smile looking down at Liz as she with a grin on her face looked up at him. At that point, Tim realized that he had not looked up a picture of Tess, but figured he could do that later...He never got around to it though.  
  
Everything was quiet then until 2002, the teen's Senior year, when an Air Force F16 crashed outside of Roswell. UFO websites maintained that the fighter jet had collided with "something". A few days later, there were reports of a semi carrying military explosives being stolen and Roswell being locked down and searched. Among the homes searched, without warrant, were the Valentis and the Evenses. Then came reports of an intruder on the Air Force base, who carried an enormous explosive device, which had leveled most of the base and killed almost everyone. A military investigation was launched and rumors that the "Special Unit" was back, showed up on several UFO websites. Then Tim read the report that really shocked him.  
  
'This is it; this must have been when Max decided that he had to give me up.' He thought as he read it again.  
  
***Armed soldiers interrupt graduation ceremony in Roswell, New Mexico.*** Reports on a government conspiracy website stated that during the graduation ceremony for the West Roswell Class of 2002, Max Evans walked up to the podium on stage, told the star speaker that for his own safety he needed to leave the building, which had caused the older man to abruptly do just that. Then the lights had gone out, but Max had continued speaking about being a member of a group, which was leaving Roswell after going through so much pain and hurt in their hometown. But they had always had each other and always would. Max had said. Then he thanked his adoptive parents for giving him a family and the town, for "allowing him to live among them". Then all of a sudden, still in darkness, troops, carrying machine guns and wearing night-vision goggles had busted into the auditorium and taken over. But blindingly bright lights had been switched on all of a sudden and a boy on a motorcycle had come riding down the aisle, picked up Max Evans and carried him off past the armed troops, never to be seen in Roswell again.  
  
The teen's parents had been questioned but then released to be followed by government agents, but nothing had come of that. it was discovered that Liz Parker, Max Evans, his sister Isabel, who left her husband, Jesse Ramirez, Maria DeLuca, Kyle Valenti and Michael Guerin, who was theorized to be the motorcyclist, all disappeared that night. The mystery of their disappearance was still a big-draw-item at Roswell's UFO Center, where Max Evans had been an employee.  
  
'Was this the beginning of the Seven-Years-of-Terrorism I read about in American History class?' Tim wondered about the violent and unexplained attacks which had taken place around the country for seven years and had just as mysteriously stopped...ten years ago...just like Max had told him that his "situation-that-he-could-not-talk-about" had ended ten years ago. No one had ever been caught or taken responsibility for the attacks. 'But if Max and his friends had something to do with those "bombings", what did that mean?' Tim read on...  
  
He had found corresponding reports in small-town newspapers or off of UFO websites about a mysterious, dark-haired young man healing some of the victims of these attacks and leaving behind silver handprints; or mysterious youths, some displaying psychic powers; saving people from muggings, car accidents, fires, any number of disasters, but then they "youths" disappeared into the crowd, never to be seen again. At the same time, large city newspapers would report another terrorist attack in the same town in which the "miracles" took place. Luckily there were far more miracles than attacks.  
  
Tim picked up one fuzzy photograph taken of the mysterious young man; he had dark hair, cut like Max's had been, dark eyes and the same shaped face that Max had, but the picture was of such poor quality it was too hard to tell for sure. There was a second photograph; of six young people, three boys and three girls, who were just turning the corner to walk around a building. Using a magnifying glass, Tim enlarged the picture. He was almost certain that the dark-haired boy was Max and the light-brown-haired boy was Michael Guerin; they were both looking back the way they had come, as if they were making sure that no one was following them. Their arms were each around a girl's waist, one brunet, one blond; Liz and Maria? Tim wondered.  
  
Finally, Tim turned to the last piece of information he was able to find and the most important. He had found it by pure chance on a government-conspiracy website and if he had not read everything else first, he would not have believed, even for a second, what the report...or the fragment of a report, photographed while on a U.S. Senator's desk, said...  
  
***2009 Special Unit completely disbanded and all members arrested for terrorist attacks on U.S. soil and against U.S. citizens, namely, Maxwell Ev--*** Here the corner of another piece of paper covered the names except for... "-eLuca." The snippet went on to say. "The Unit perpetrated the myth of space-aliens fighting a war amongst themselves, here in America, when it was actually they [the Unit] who were hunting the before-mentioned group of young people. Nor could the Unit give any evidence of crimes perpetrated by said young men and women unlike the video-proof against the Unit, which was delivered to this government-body yesterday." Here, someone's scrawled handwriting was added in the margin. "Who would believe this bull-shit about an alien king and his royal court on the run from his alien enemies, who came from their far-off planet through some damn-fool worm-hole?! This crap belongs in a sci-fi novel, not on the agenda of a Senate sub-committee. This is a waste of my #$!!@ time!"  
  
As Tim read all the materials, he had been slowly working his mind around the concept that these people who run the UFO websites believed his father and friends were space-aliens, but he had not yet made up his own mind on the subject when he read that last bit from the United States Senate.  
  
"Ohhh...man!" Tim exclaimed, running his hands through his hair and then leaving them, with fingers clasped, behind his head as the realization finally hit him in the face. "My father is...is...an alien?" He whispered it and then his mind made a giant leap. "Tess gave her life for me. Max said...Could she have been an...a...space-alien too? Could she have been...what...blew up that military base? The Special Unit searched my...my grandparents' house and by the date, I know that Max gave me up for adoption sometime during all of that...mess. Could the Special Unit have been looking for...us...my parents and...me? Ohh Man!"  
  
Tim panicked for a moment and then brought his old microscope down from the top shelf in his closet. He also found his old biology class textbook, which he had kept and opened it to the page on Human cell sampling.  
  
'Am I...an alien?' Tim wondered silently. 'Surely something would have shown up by now with all the yearly physicals I've had and...and being at the hospital only yesterday.'  
  
Tim followed the instructions in the text and scraped off some cells from the inside of his cheek and placed them on a slide and looked at them under the scope; normal. Next, he pricked his finger and looked at his blood under magnification; normal.  
  
'So at least on the surface, I'm Human, but if my parents were aliens...?' Tim lay down on his bed, on top of all his print-outs and read again the reports which mentioned a mysterious youth or young man, the Senate report and looked at those two grainy pictures...of his father? Then he sat up on the bed.  
  
'Okay, by all accounts there was a small group of aliens who were referred to as mysterious strangers in many of the reports and who traveled back and forth across the country, helping people while fighting their enemies. And then there were the bad guys who were trying to kill this small group. The large enemy contingent was supposedly made up of the Special Unit and more aliens from...Max's...planet so Max, Liz, Maria, Michael, Isabel and Kyle were the good guys and it really looks like Max was...is...a healer? And it was only the Senate report which called one of them an alien king...Max always seems to be in charge...could he be a king...and Liz his queen? Except they are living here...were they exiled here?'   
  
Tim shook his head and looked at his clock-radio. It was 4:30 p.m. Where had the day gone? Tim looked around his room and saw his empty lunch plate; when had he eaten it? He could not remember. Tim decided to go with his gut instinct; Max and his friends were good, decent, kind...people...? Somehow he was still Human even if his parents were...something else. Everything Max had ever done for him had been for the good and in Tim's best interest. While being hunted by their...alien and government enemies, the close group of friends had tried to help others and they still were.  
  
'It's strange, with all the information I found out today, I never found any mention of Max's being abducted. But these dates match up. Could the government have taken him to Eagle Rock? What did they do to him?' Tim wondered.  
  
If his theory was correct, he now understood why Max had not wanted to tell him about the past and the possible danger in Tim's knowing the truth. But he was glad that he knew about his father's um, origins and decided to keep it to himself for now. Maybe in the future he and Max Evans would be close enough and trusting enough for him to bring up the subject. For now, Tim cleared out all relevant materials from his computer's memory, made sure there were no records kept of the websites he had visited and took all the print-outs down to his parents' office where he knew they had a shredder. His excellent memory was all he needed to remember all he had learned that day. Thankfully, his mother was in the basement doing some laundry as he carried the shredded paper and the kitchen trash out to the trash cans in the garage.  
  
"Oh you've finally emerged from your room!" Maggie exclaimed when Tim came back into the house and saw his mother sorting laundry at the kitchen table.  
  
"Yeah...I guess I got really caught up in my project...for school." Tim said.  
  
"I would say so; you never even heard me when I called you for lunch OR when I brought a plate up to you!"  
  
"Um yeah, sorry, Mom. I guess I ate all the food you brought up, but I don't even remember eating!" Tim's stomach growled and he looked down at it ruefully. "I guess my stomach doesn't remember either!"  
  
"You are still planning to pick up Kathy at six o'clock right?" Tim nodded, grinning. "Then you probably won't eat until at least six thirty or seven o'clock; why don't you get yourself some oatmeal cookies and a glass of milk and have a snack here at the kitchen table?" Maggie suggested.  
  
"That sounds great Mom...oh no, I can't, I just remembered, I haven't picked up my tux yet!" Tim grimaced with worry.  
  
"You didn't but I did, before I went grocery shopping. I though you might not be up to running errands today. I hung your tux in your closet and...the corsage you picked out for Kathy is in the refrigerator."  
  
Tim quickly opened the fridge and saw the flowers up front on the middle shelf. Instead he took out the milk carton and closed the door, making an exaggerated gesture of wiping sweat from his brow.  
  
"Mom you are the best!" Tim put the milk down and went to hug his mother.  
  
Then he plucked a couple oatmeal-raisin cookies, his favorite, from the cookie-jar and sat down to chat with his mother. But before he knew it, it was time for him to go up and get ready for the Prom.  
  
Part 14  
  
When he came back down forty-five minutes later; freshly showered, shaved and in his tux, Maggie felt fresh tears gather in her eyes.  
  
'My little boy is all grown up and so handsome in his tux!' She thought to herself.  
  
"Oh Tim you look so grown up!" Her words echoed her thoughts as she handed him Kathy's corsage.  
  
"Yeah you look pretty good Tim." Bridget said. "If it weren't for those two cuts that had to be stitched or that bruise on your cheek that's turned a putrid-green...you could be on the cover of GQ!"  
  
"Uh thanks...Sis." Tim said warily and Bridget giggled.  
  
"You look great Son." Ian Hogan said. He had come home a little early just so he could see his son before he left to pick up Kathy Murphy.  
  
"Thanks Dad!" Tim grinned and the two men hugged.  
  
"Well...I'd...better go or I'll be late picking Kathy up."  
  
"Have a wonderful time...both of you!" Maggie called out as Tim walked out to his SUV. She saw him pause and then Tim looked back at her and grinned.  
  
"You are the best Mom ever! I meant to clean out the SUV and have it washed. Thanks!"  
  
"You're welcome, now get going." Maggie called back and watched as her son got into his car and drive off.  
  
When Tim arrived at Kathy's house, Mr. Murphy opened the door to him and offered his hand.  
  
"Good to see that you are alright young man. We were all very concerned about you."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Tim said as he entered the house...  
  
...And there she was at the top of the stairs, his angel...coming down the stairs towards him. Tim's grin mirrored hers as she came into his arms and tilted up her head to receive his kiss.  
  
"Oh Angel you look absolutely beautiful!" Tim exclaimed softly to her as they drew back from their rather intense kiss.  
Kathy was wearing a slip-dress of the palest peach. Around her shoulders was a copper-colored shawl with a swirl design running across it made of thin lines in burnt-orange. Around her slender throat and hanging from her tiny ears were a necklace and earrings made of copper with peach crystals inserted as well. All the colors in her outfit accentuated the color of her creamy skin; her beautiful eyes and hair, which she had left down and brushed out 'til it hung long, straight and silky-soft down her back.  
  
"Thank you Tim! You look so handsome in your tux, as I knew you would!" Kathy looked him up and down and felt her heart flutter as she blushed. She made herself look up into his eyes...and saw...something...in them. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Yes of course, why do you ask?" Tim asked.  
  
"I just saw...there was something in our expression..." Kathy said.  
  
"I'm just anxious to get you into my arms tonight." Tim saw Mr. Murphy standing behind his daughter. "...to dance the night away." He finished. He hated keeping secrets from Kathy, but he new he had taken a real chance when he had researched his father's past. He would not endanger her for anything.  
  
"Well why don't we take some pictures of you two, so you won't be late for your dinner reservation." Mrs. Murphy said, camera in hand.  
  
They had quite a few pictures taken until all Tim and Kathy could see were the spots before their eyes and then they left for the restaurant. Tim had made reservations at their favorite Chinese restaurant. When they entered they saw several of their friends dining together at a central table but the two young lovers passed their applauding friends with a few words and a wave, following the hostess to a back booth. They fed each other their choices in food; spicy sesame chicken for Tim and sweet and sour shrimp for Kathy and chatted together about their many common interests. Finally they finished eating and it was time to go to the Prom.  
  
The dance was being held at the high school in the cafeteria. The room was large with lofty ceilings, clearstory windows and large decorative beams in unstained maple running overhead. One wall was a bank of French doors which lead out to a large patio, which was lit with colorful Japanese lanterns in the school colors, blue and gold. The decorating committee had gone all out; even getting permission to paint a mural on one of the large walls; of a couple standing together on a hillside, silhouetted by a colorful sunset. There were more Japanese lanterns and the ever-popular mirrored ball hanging from the ceiling. Tables were set up around three sides of the room, while the live band was set up on the fourth wall and the center of the floor had been cleared for dancing.  
  
As soon as Tim and Kathy walked through the rainbow-colored archway made of balloons, the entire student body broke into thunderous applause, cheers and whistles. They both saw Max and Liz as well as all the other chaperones clapping on the sidelines as well. It was something to see as most of Tim's teammates from the basketball and soccer teams came up to greet him, saw the bruises and stitches on his face and then just shook his hand rather than slap him on the back or on the shoulder, afraid to hurt him anymore than Wozniak already had...although the pipsqueak and his buddies were not mentioned at all that night. Tim was gently herded towards the temporary stage, which had been set up and told to say a few words.  
  
"Um, hi, I'm Tim Hogan." He introduced himself over the P.A. system and the crowd all broke out into clapping again. After this last week, everyone in school knew who he was and Tim blushed a little. "Um, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your concern and um, prayers this week. My parents have shown me all the notes you guys dropped off and they told me about all the phone calls they received and how many of you went out searching for me all over the city. Thanks to you, the Police and some other very special people," Tim looked directly over at Max and Liz. "I was found yesterday afternoon. It's great to be here with all of you, even if I can only slow-dance with my leading lady, Kathy Murphy!" Tim motioned to Kathy who was standing right in front of him and the crowd threw out some cat-calls; as if slow-dancing with Kathy would be a hardship for him, they called out. "Anyway thanks again and let's dance!" Tim called out before jumping off the stage. He took Kathy's hand and drew her over to where Max and Liz were standing.  
  
"Wow, Mrs. Evans, you look lovely in that dress!" Kathy exclaimed to her favorite teacher.  
  
"Thank you Kathy, so do you." Liz replied as the men circumspectly shook hands.  
  
"How are you feeling today?" Max asked concern in his eyes as he glanced over the bruises and the stitches.  
  
"I'm doing, um, better...Father." Tim said. "Didn't sleep too well last night, but I guess that's to be expected." Max nodded.  
  
"Would you like to get together and talk some of it out this weekend?" Max asked.  
  
"Um, yeah that would be great." Tim said. Both couples noticed that the band had started to play and most of the kids had started to dance.  
  
"Good, now why don't we go dancing with our ladies?" Max suggested with a bow to Liz, before they broke up to go out and dance.  
  
Tim took Kathy's hand and drew her out onto the dance floor. The band was playing a slow number and both men happily took their respective lady into his arms. Too soon afterwards by Tim's calculations, the band started playing a fast dance piece and Tim tried to keep up...for about thirty seconds. Kathy saw the pain on his face as his ribs complained and stopped dancing.  
  
"You know Tim, I'm pretty thirsty; could we go get some punch, please?"  
  
"Yeah sure, I'm thirsty too; that sounds like a good idea, Kathy." Tim said casually as he took her hand and drew her out of the crowd, but his eyes were warm with gratitude for what he knew she just did for him.  
  
After that, Tim and Kathy happily danced the slow dances together and got punch during the fast pieces while chatting with friends.  
  
"Hey, is that your...is that Mr. Evans up at the stage?" Kathy asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think it is." Tim answered. "Why is Mrs. Evans blushing?" Kathy shook her head, not knowing.  
  
"We have a request for an oldie-but-a-goodie." The band's leader said over the microphone. "I Shall Believe by Cheryl Crow for Liz from Max."  
  
"Ooh that must be their special song...I love that song!" Kathy exclaimed and she pulled Tim out onto the dance floor.  
  
The two couples unconsciously danced towards each other, until Tim could see Max and Liz snuggling and moving slowly. Max's hand was combing through Liz's gorgeous hair and Liz was stroking Max's cheek. Near the end of the song, Tim saw as the older couple stopped moving on the dance floor at all; they were just gazing into each other's eyes and then Mrs. Evans blushed again, turned and towed Mr. Evans behind her towards an exit.  
  
"Tim, I'm sorry, but would you excuse me while I go and visit the lady's room?" Kathy asked.  
  
"Hmm? Oh sure, Kathy. Think I'll make a pit-stop too. Why don't I meet you out on the patio afterwards?"  
  
"Okay, great." Kathy said; tip-toeing up to kiss him lightly.  
  
Tim was in and out of the men's room while Kathy was still in line to get into the lady's room. He stood in the cafeteria for a few moments before following the Evanses out the back door.  
  
'Why am I following them?' Tim asked himself, as he stepped outside. 'I'm pretty sure I know what they came out here for...yup, there they are. Oh man, it's like that day in Mrs. Evans' classroom all over again!' Tim watched from the shadows for a few moments. 'I know this is wrong, my watching them, but something drew me out here...true it was probably my adolescent male hormones which pulled me out here but...'  
  
Tim watched as Max and Liz slowly danced together under the moon and the stars to their own music. Max's right hand was roaming up and down Liz's back and further down...while Liz was snuggled up against his chest; Max's shirt was partially unbuttoned and she seemed to be kissing his skin. Liz's arms, hooked around Max's strong neck were helping to hold her up, her fingers combing through his soft, loose hair.  
  
Tim heard soft groans come from both of them and saw their lips collide again in a passionate kiss.  
  
'Oh man I gotta get out of here!' Tim told himself and turned to go but then something bright caught the corner of his eye and he turned back.  
  
'Ohmanohmanohman!' Tim almost said out loud, but bit is tongue instead.   
  
Where Max was stroking Liz's back...his hands were leaving a trail of white light behind and as they turned in their private dance, he could see Liz's hands doing the same, over Max's hair and down his neck and shoulders.  
  
"Max, you're glowing! I'm glowing!" Liz exclaimed excitedly and then she drew one of her hands back so she could look at it; her hands were still glowing a little bit.  
  
"You have been able to do that before..." Max said.  
  
"But not very often! I guess we're both in a particularly romantic mood tonight, my love!" Max didn't respond verbally, but leaned down and kissed her again.  
  
"I guess you agree with me?" Liz giggled as she pulled back a little gasping for air. Max just lowered his lips to hers one more time before murmuring between kisses.  
  
"I love you so much!"  
  
Those words sparked a memory. The memory and Tim was a little baby again being held in his father's arms and being told how much he was loved but this time, Tim remembered something new. He saw Max pass his hand over his forehead and face...his glowing hand...  
  
"Oh man!" Tim exclaimed, unknowingly out loud. "That wasn't just something I happened to remember, Max gave me that memory...wow!"  
  
Tim was so deep in thought that he didn't see Max and Liz break off their kissing and walk over to him.  
  
"Tim is that you? What are you doing out here?" Max asked trying to sound casual, but still coming across as stern. 'What did he see? How are we going to explain this?' Max wondered.  
  
"I'm sorry, um, Mr. Evans." Tim did not think this was the time to call him Max or Father; he knew he had stepped onto boggy ground. "I truly didn't mean to intrude; only something...drew me out here...I don't know how to explain it."  
  
"Alright...for now, but what were you saying earlier? ...Max gave you that memory? What memory?" Max asked, trying to hide his concern.  
  
"Um...remember what I told you yesterday at the warehouse...about the memory I have always had? I always thought that it was just a random memory that I happened to remember...or something my mind just made p...but when I saw you just now...and your hands were...um...glowing and you were leaving light trails wherever your hands went...um...I remembered seeing your hand pass over my forehead as a baby...and it was glowing. You never actually told me...verbalized to me that you loved me...you gave me your thoughts, didn't you? I...um...I know that...you aren't...actually from around here." Tim whispered the last part.  
  
"And where do you think we're from?" Max asked.  
  
"From...you know..." Tim said and pointed his finger upwards.  
  
"Up North?" Liz asked, but she could not keep the humor out of her eyes, which were sparkling. 'Oh man, this is my conversation with Max all over again!' She thought to herself.  
  
"No...you're aliens!" Tim said, still whispering and looking around to make sure no one was close by.  
  
"I prefer 'not of this Earth'." Max took up his line. 'Did I just say that?' He wondered.  
  
"You aren't freaking out about this Tim...why not?" Liz asked, serious again.  
  
"I guess I...um...did my freaking out earlier today...you see, I was at home with nothing to do today...but I had all these questions about the two of you and your friends, so I...did some...um...research." Tim admitted.  
  
Max was torn between worry for his son's safety...If anyone found out what he had learned...and worry over how he would react to that information and what he would do with it.  
  
"Tim, I told you that it was too dangerous for you to know anything more about our past." Max said.  
  
"I know and I'm sorry...Max...And now I understand why it's dangerous for me to know what I know...but I promise, I won't tell anyone at all what I found out; not my parents, Bridget or even Kathy and I destroyed or erased any copies or records of what I found out too. Mind you I don't know all the details of your lives, but I think I know about the important parts." Tim said.  
  
"And you said you um...freaked out this afternoon? Why are you so calm now?" Max asked.  
  
"Yeah, when I first learned that you were...aliens...I worried that I was an alien too...I mean this was all new to me, you know? I figured that...um...Tess was also an alien?" Max nodded. "So I tested myself to see what I was...scraped some cells off the inside of my cheek, looked at my blood under a microscope and as far as I can tell, I'm Human, but I don't see how that could be..."  
  
"One of those little details you don't know is that we are only half alien and half human, Tim. Genetics took DNA only from our human halves when you were...um...conceived." Max looked at Liz and she smiled at him.  
  
"It's a very long story that we can tell you some other time." Liz said.  
  
"Great, I'd love to hear it!" Tim said. "Anyway the reason I'm pretty calm now is that everything I learned about you and your friends is that you're good people. You were fighting a war against enemies from wherever you're from and the government, right?" Tim asked and Max nodded again, holding tightly to Liz's hand. "But wherever you went you helped people; healed them, rescued them, protected them. You were only in your twenties, you couldn't go home, I bet your parents couldn't help you much and you were fighting for your lives, but that never stopped you from helping others...it still doesn't." Tim said.  
  
"Well Tim, I am very glad to hear you say that. Obviously we are going to have to have some...very...long...conversations...very...soon, but for now...you really are...okay...knowing...aren't you?" Max asked.  
  
"Yes, I am, Father...you two are so great together and your friends seem really nice too. I love you all and I want to get to know you all better and learn more about your pasts, but for now...everything's okay!" Tim moved in and Max and Liz automatically opened their arms to him and hugged him tight.  
  
"Now, um, if you don't mind, I'm going to go and find Kathy and dance with her some more!" Tim grinned before turning and dashing back inside.  
  
Max just stood there for a moment staring after him and feeling as though his jaw was dragging on the ground. He snapped his mouth shut and turned to Liz, but he gasped when he saw her shocked expression and tears on her face.  
  
"Liz? Liz honey, are you alright?" Max asked, gently touching her cheek.  
  
"Hmmm?" Liz asked coming out of her trance.  
  
"Liz, did you get a premonition...about Tim? Oh no, don't tell me that something else is going to happen...please?"  
  
"Oh no, Max, Tim is fine, I'm pretty sure. No Max, I saw something good. A lot of good things actually! You know how seldom that ever happens with these premonitions of mine."  
  
"What, what did you see?" Max asked.  
  
"It's too complicated for me to tell you, why don't I show you?" Liz suggested.  
  
"With flashes?" Max clarified and Liz nodded, smiling. "Well, okay if you insist!" Max said before drawing Liz back into her arms and started to kiss her.  
  
**Flash**  
  
Max and Tim, sitting in their living room talking earnestly. Max is helping Tim to talk about his ordeal, so he can heal emotionally. A moment later, they are hugging, a few tears leaking out of each man's eyes.  
  
**Flash**  
  
Max and Tim, in Max's car, pulling into the driveway of their home. Both men are grinning and laughing; they have been out doing something together and were having a great time doing it.   
  
**Flash**  
  
Tim out back in the Evans' back yard, playing catch with Luke; eating an ice-cream Sunday with Miriam, while listening to her talk about everything, anything; Tim, with little Joshua on his lap, reading a story to him.  
  
**Flash**  
  
Tim at a family cookout with the entire group there; Max's parents, Liz's parents, Maria and Kyle's parents, all of their friends and children. They are all having a great time, eating burgers, laughing and talking, playing Frisbee.  
  
**Flash**  
  
Tim and Kathy's wedding.  
  
**Flash**  
  
Another family cookout, this one including the Hogans and the Murphies as well as everyone else...And Tim is holding a baby boy in one arm, while his other arm is around Kathy's waist.  
  
**End Flashes**  
  
Max and Liz came back to themselves and found happy tears slipping down both of their faces. Max passed his hand over Liz's lovely face and her tears disappeared, along with her red eyes and nose, then he did the same thing for himself.  
  
"Oh Max, it was so wonderful, to see what a happy future they, we have in store!"  
  
"Wow, it certainly was!" Max said, unable to think of any other response as he thinks about everything that he saw. "You know what we should do? We should go inside and watch those two dancing together at the beginning of their happy future, what do you say?" Max said and Liz nodded, grinning and hand in hand the two of them let themselves back into the school.  
  
"There they are; they just came in through the French doors from the porch." Max said, gathering Liz to him, so that she stood in front of him, but could lean back against him, standing between his wide-spread legs, his arms tightly around her. Liz bit back a half groan, half giggle.  
  
"I feel like a fairy-god-mother! We have done our magic and the hero and heroine will live happily every after!"  
  
"Absolutely, I gave Zan...um...Tim a memory and that memory brought us back together again. Now we all have a chance to make new memories of a happy lifetime together!" Max said, before tilting Liz's chin up with his index finger and leaning down to kiss her with all the love he held in his heart for her; his best friend, his soul-mate, his queen and foster-mother to his first-born-son. Their whispered words echoed the younger couple out on the dance floor.  
  
"I love you Liz, forever."  
  
I love you Kathy, forever."  
  
I love you Max, forever."  
  
I love you Tim, forever."   
The End. I really hope you have enjoyed this story. Please let me know what you think! ~janelouise 


End file.
